The Sister
by Goddess of Rage
Summary: My brothers...Saints...Killers...My father...alive after 25 years... 10/27: After a ridiculously long hiatus, all chapters have been uploaded. I'm in the process of tightening everything up so I won't call this complete...yet.
1. Chapter 1: Far Away Eyes

"An Deirfiúr"

_For Just-A-Moment who inspired me to start and for GoddessLaughs who helped me finish._

Chapter 1 – Far Away Eyes

Caelan MacManus was your typical Irish woman. Proud, bold, beautiful. She was many things. The youngest of three children, Caelan was born in a small town outside Dublin but left at the age of 18 like her twin older brothers had done when they were her age. Now 26, she resided in a simple yet stylish flat in Manhattan. She was very fair skinned, with long, curly auburn colored hair.

Though she hadn't seen her family in some time, her mother kept close tabs on her, phoning her at least once a week. Caelan had never met her father. He left them when she was just a baby. Her brothers had gone to Boston, working odd jobs here and there. Caelan, however, had become successful since her move.

After a few years of scraping by and working tooth and nail, she had finally made it. Caelan spoke several languages fluently and now made her living as a translator, one of the youngest at her company, mostly for larger companies with clients overseas.

"Shit. Where did I put me keys?" She muttered as she stumbled around her apartment, one shoe on, one shoe in her hand. She slid the other shoe on as she turned the corner to her bathroom. "So late…Damn alarm clocks."

Caelan was just about to reach for her toothbrush when she heard a knock at the door. "Great. Just what I need." She shuffled out of the bathroom towards the door. The person on the other side knocked again. "All right! I'm comin'!" She snapped as she fumbled with the doorknob, her Irish accent still as thick as the day she left home. She threw the door open. "David. I'm so sorry…I overslept. I just have to brush my teeth and we can go."

David O'Sullivan was a close friend of Caelan's. The two had met when she first moved to New York. They became fast friends and ended up working for the same company.

David was tall, with straight dark-brown hair that he always kept pulled back and deep green eyes. He smirked at his disgruntled friend. "Caelan, I'm buying you a new alarm clock after work."

"I'm sorry, I overslept. I've been working late all week since I'm leaving." She shuffled towards her bathroom.

"I thought you said you were canceling that trip?" David shouted from the living room.

"Yeah well, Turns out the airfare was non-refundable, and I already put in for the time off. Besides, my friend Mary said that I could stay with her." Caelan replied as she re-entered the room. She stopped to look in the mirror that hung on the wall so she could apply some lipstick.

"Oh. So you plan on staying at Mary's house for two weeks, hiding out from your family that lives…across the street."

"Uh, yeah. That's the plan…In a nutshell." David shook her head at her. "We're late. No more talk of Ireland."

"Alright. Whatever you say." He said, holding up his hands in defense. Caelan grabbed her keys and purse and headed out the door; David locked the door and followed behind her.

_22-year old Caelan studied her brother's apartment as she took another shot. It wasn't even really an apartment; in fact it looked like a locker room for the employees of whatever company resided in their building years ago. She was glad she opted to stay in a hotel when she visited. "Are you guys seriously happy living here?"_

_Connor took his shot, swallowing it in one gulp. "What's the matter, Cae? Don't you like our place?"_

"_No, it's not that. Actually, it reminds me of some of the shit holes I lived in when I first moved to New York."_

"_Bet you're livin' in a palace now, huh?" Connor asked as he poured more whiskey into his glass._

"_Free is free. We can't all have your kind of money, Cae." Murphy slurred._

_Her brother's poor choice of words mixed with too many shots suddenly made Caelan irrationally angry. "Oh yeah? I worked my fuckin' ass off to get where I am today. And you know what? I did it all by myself. At least you two had each other."_

_Murphy gave her an odd look. He hadn't meant to upset her and he was about to say so when his sister continued.  
_

"_Ma sent me to New York with a wad of cash and a pat on the back saying 'Good luck, Caelan'. Do you have any idea how hard it was for me there? New York, shockingly, isn't the most forgiving city when it comes to eighteen year old immigrant teenaged girls, no matter what you see in the movies. And I'll be damned if I'm gonna let you two fucks make me feel guilty because I actually made something of myself."  
_

"_We weren't tryin' ta make you feel guilty, Cae. We're proud of you, and so is Ma."  
_

"_You were always the strongest out of the three of us. Ma knew you could do it and she was right, wasn't she? You make more money in a day than Connor and I do in a week."  
_

"_Well, I still think its bullshit. I've always resented Ma for making us leave when we were eighteen. It should've been our decision. When and if I have children, they can make up their own minds about leaving home. They can go when they're ready, not when I think they should leave."_

Caelan yawned, leaning back in her leather desk chair. She stretched her arms over her head, pulling them behind her. She glanced down at her watch. 9:30. She ended up working late again.

Her focus returned to her computer screen and she tried to concentrate on the Japanese characters in front of her. "God, they're all startin' ta look like squashed bugs."

"Dinner?" She turned towards the door to her office and smiled when she saw David standing there, a bag of Chinese take-out in his hand.

"David, how the hell did you learn Japanese kanji?"

David walked proudly towards her and took a seat in one of the chairs on the opposite side of her desk. "Gifted I guess." He set the food down on her desk.

Caelan scoffed at the statement. "Gifted my ass." She swiveled her chair around and moved to sit across from him, accepting the white boxes and chopsticks he held out to her.

Caelan shook her head as she opened one of the boxes. "I don't know what I was thinking. You may have to take over for me."

"Come on, Cae. I'll help you." He pointed at her with his chopsticks. "How many other languages do you already know? Seven? Eight?"

"Something like that, but those languages consist of letters that actually look like letters." She popped a piece of General Tso's chicken in her mouth.

"Enough talk about work. How bout' we finish up here and I take you out for a drink?"

Caelan rolled her eyes. "David. I'm not going out with you. We've been over this a million times already."

"What? Can't a friend take another friend out for a drink?" He looked at her innocently.

"Oh please. Don't give me that look." She smirked at him. "You'll feed me drinks until I'm drunk, then you'll try to take advantage of me."

"That's a horrible thing to say. Frankly, I'm offended." He pointed his nose in the air and looked away from her for a moment before breaking into laughter. "Like I have enough money on me to get you drunk."

The two laughed again for a moment before David's face suddenly showed concern. "Seriously, though. I wanted to talk to you about this trip. I don't think it's a good idea."

Caelan sighed. "I know." She absently dug in her food with her chopsticks.

David regarded her. "How long has it been since you're talked to them?"

"Over three years…Three long years." She set the box down with a bit of force. "It just kills me. We were so close for so long, even though we lived in different states. We'd always talk on the phone, and I even visited them a few times…Then suddenly, nothing…They completely cut me out of their lives. And then I had to hear it from my mother that my father was staying with them…As if the knife wasn't deep enough in my back already." She sighed deeply.

"Now they're gonna be there. All three of em'. I don't even know why I'm going. I should have cancelled the trip as soon as I heard but…" David noticed as she lightly touched the silver cross that hung around her neck. "Something inside me tells me I have to go. I can't explain it."

"It kills me to see you hurting like this." David said sadly.

"I know. Yet another aspect of the situation that I don't much care for."

"It bothers you that I care about you?"

"It bothers me that you hate my brothers." Caelan reached across her desk to take his hand in hers. "Once upon a time, they were the greatest. We always had so much fun together, and you would have loved them."

David placed his free hand over hers. "I'm sorry, Cae. It's hard for me to care about anyone that would hurt you. Even if they are your brothers."

Caelan nodded. "I understand. Maybe someday you'll give them another chance."

David smirked. "I will right after you do."

She chuckled. "I think I will let you buy me that drink." The two went back to their food, and Caelan laughed again as she watched David try to hurry and finish.

†

Connor MacManus stood waiting outside the entrance to McGinty's. It was a bar he and his brother had frequented ever since they moved to Boston from Ireland. He casually looked down at his watch, smoking a cigarette as he waited. Connor was one of the infamous Saints of South Boston, a trio consisting of his twin brother, his father and himself, who took the law into their own hands, dealing punishment in the form of death to the worst criminals of Boston, mostly Mafioso.

The three had made a name for themselves a year ago when they, with the help of an FBI agent and several members of the Boston police force, murdered Giuseppi "Papa Joe" Yakavetta, Boss of the Yakavetta Family, at his own criminal trial.

The three had fled to New York for awhile, while things quieted down, and it was there that Connor met Maggie Ashford. She was a bartender at a bar they had visited, and it was love at first sight. They eventually returned to Boston, and she came with him. Connor had gotten her the job at McGinty's. The owner, Doc, was a friend of theirs.

He looked down at his watch again, closing time was fast approaching. Maggie knew nothing of what Connor had done in the past; in fact, his relationship with her had him questioning how much longer he wanted to be in the divine justice business, a thought he had not yet discussed with his brother or father.

The door behind him opened, and Maggie finally stepped out. She smiled when she saw him. "Evening, sir." She said.

"Why, if it isn't Maggie Ashford. What's a nice girl like you doin' in a place like this?" He smirked at her as she came towards him, holding her coat over her arm. Connor took it from her and helped her into it, smoothing her long blonde hair down her back once her coat was snugly around her shoulders.

"I ask myself that same question every day." She replied with a wink.

"Hungry?" He offered her his arm, and she slid hers through it.

"I could eat."

"Was it busy tonight?" He looked down at her as they walked. Maggie was a full foot shorter than him. She looked up at him through tired eyes. "Yeah, but I did make a lot of tips. Oh, and Doc wanted me to ask you when you and Murphy were planning on paying your tab?"

"Oh yeah, that." Connor scrubbed the back of his neck. "I'll have to talk to Murphy about that next time I see him."

Maggie laughed. "Right."

†

"Alright. I just got off the phone with Agent Smecker. Everything's all set for our trip." Murphy MacManus hung up the phone in their kitchen and turned toward his father. "You talked to Ma already, right?"

"Aye. She's excited to see us." William MacManus produced a cigar from his pocket and lit it. "I haven't seen your mother in a long time...25 years…A trip back to Ireland is long overdue."

Murphy cuffed his father's shoulder. "It'll be alright, Da."

Will did his best to smile. "Where's your brother? Out with Maggie again?"

"Aye. He wants ta bring her with us. He's gonna marry her, ya know."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. Showed me the ring and everythin.' He's crazy if ya' ask me. How can he have a wife in our line of work?" Murphy shrugged as he lit a cigarette.

Will regarded him, quietly considering the situation. Maybe the time had come for the three to retire. It was a thought he had had a lot lately, ever since they returned to Boston. Now they'd be going home to Ireland. He made a mental note to talk it over with his sons when the time was right.

A few hours passed, and Connor hadn't returned from Maggie's, so Murphy and Da ordered a pizza. They ate while Murphy browsed through the channels, finally settling on a movie starring Charlie Bronson. Murphy chuckled and set the remote down. "This alright, Da?"

"Sure. I'm not really paying attention." Murphy shrugged and focused on the TV. "Actually, son, I wanted to talk to you."

"What about?" Murphy asked, his mouth full.

"Well, I wanted to ask you about your sister."

"What about her?"

"Well, where is she? What's she like?"

Murphy swallowed a bite of pizza and turned to face his father. "Caelan is in New York. She likes rock music, and her favorite color is green." Will listened intently. "She's a lot of fun. Haven't talked to her in awhile, though. It's too bad there was so much heat on us when we were in New York…We probably could've stayed with her."

"Tell me…what was she like when you were growing up?"

"Caelan was always real smart. She used to help us with our homework sometimes...Especially the 8 million different languages Ma made us learn. She picked em' up pretty quick." He took another bite of his pizza. "She had a lot of friends, everyone liked her. Mary said once that Caelan was one of the kindest people she knew."

"Mary?"

Murphy's ears pinked for a second. "Yeah. Mary O'Neill. She lives across the street from Ma. She's Cae's best friend."

Will nodded. "I remember her parents."

"Yeah. We had a lot of fun growin' up, Me and Connor and Cae."

Will sighed. "You wouldn't have a picture of her, would ya'?"

"Actually, I do." He pulled his wallet out of his back pocket, opened it and removed a picture from inside. He handed it to his Da. It was a picture of the three of them standing in front of the bar inside McGinty's. Caelan was in the middle with her brothers on either side of her. "That was a few years ago. She came to visit us." Murphy chuckled. "That's a pretty rare sight, her smilin' like that."

Will gave him a confused look. "Why?"

"Caelan hates having her picture taken. She's weird." Will smiled and started to hand the picture back to his son. Murphy held up his hand. "Keep it."

"Thanks." He looked down at the picture again. "Look at that hair…She gets that from my side. Isn't she beautiful…" His voice trailed off.

Murphy shrugged. "I guess. If I had a dollar for every time she bitched about her hair when we were younger…"

Will chucked and carefully tucked the photo into his pocket. "I hope, if I ever meet her, that she can forgive me."

"Well, Connor and I used to do dumb shit to her all the time and she always forgave us."

Their attention switched to the door as Connor entered. He threw his peacoat on the end of the couch and grabbed a piece of pizza, dropping onto the couch next to his brother. Murphy glared at him.

"That'll be five bucks."

"Fuck you." He said as he took a bite.

"Didn't you eat while you were out?" Da asked. Connor shook his head. Murphy and Will both stared at him for a moment, waiting to see if he anything else to tell them, specifically if he had proposed to Maggie yet. Connor noticed and gave them an odd look.

"The fuck are ye lookin' at?"

Will sat back in his chair. "We were just talkin' about your sister."

Connor furled his eyebrows. "Oh yeah? What about her?"

"I was just asking what she was like. You do realize the last time I saw her she was an infant?" Will said as he lit a cigar.

"Well, we're goin' home for awhile, right?" He turned to Murphy. "Did you talk to Smecker?"

"Yeah, he called earlier. Everythin's set."

Connor nodded. "Maybe Cae'll wanna come home for awhile too."

"That would be nice." Will said quietly.

"Oh yeah, Maggie's comin' with us." He added as he took another bite of his pizza.

"You ask her yet?" Murphy stretched his legs in front of him and lit a cigarette.

"If you fuckin' must know, no, I haven't."

"Aw. Is Connor nervous?? Maybe I should give ya' a few pointers. Show ya' how to talk to the woman."

"Oh yes, Murph. You're so fuckin' suave when it comes to women." He dropped his slice down on top of the pizza box. "We're headin' home soon. Maybe you can show me your fuckin' smooth moves on Mary fuckin' O'Neill."

Murphy punched his brother in the arm. "Fuck you, Connor."

"Oh, did I hit a fuckin' nerve? Worried she might be seein' someone else are ya?"

Murphy glared at his brother before lunging at him. He caught Connor off guard and the two of them tumbled from the couch, knocking the table over in the process. The pizza went flying, and the two ended up rolling in it on the floor, all the while throwing fists and insults at each other.

Will just shook his head. He didn't even try to break them up. He reached down to the floor for the remote and turned up the TV.


	2. Chapter 2: Going Home

Chapter 2 – Going Home

_It was an unusually hot summer night and Annabelle MacManus never saw the need for air conditioners, so her children were forced to sleep with the windows open with no sheets on their beds. It did little to relieve the heat. Connor and Murphy shared a room, while Caelan's room was down the hall. The children usually slept pretty soundly, even in their humid bedrooms, but on this particular summer night, the youngest child was without rest._

_She carefully crawled out of bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes as she gripped her teddy bear by his paw. She crept down the hall in her bare feet, carefully avoiding the floorboards that she knew would creak. If Ma knew she was out of bed she'd be in deep trouble._

_As she passed her mother's room she held her breath, her pace slowing to a crawl. Fortunately for her, her brother's room was next. The door was open on account of the heat so she had no trouble sneaking inside._

_Each boy had his own bed on opposite sides of the room. Directly in front of her was Connor, Murphy was across the room under the window. Caelan almost hated to wake her brother. He looked so peaceful._

_"Connor?" She barely whispered._

_"Huh?" He replied without opening his eyes._

_"I had a bad dream." She bit her nail as she confessed. Connor opened his eyes for a moment before moving over to one side of the bed. Caelan smiled happily and crawled in beside him. Once she was settled, Connor threw his arm around her and fell back asleep. Caelan fell asleep shortly after._

_She would always feel safe when she was near her brothers. No matter what the weather._

Caelan had been packing for awhile now. Normally she would be excited and happy to be going home, but this time was different. Ever since her Ma had told her that her father and brothers were going to be there, she had wanted to cancel the trip, but something in her had stopped her. She decided to go through with it and had called her best friend Mary O'Neill to see if she could stay with her. She figured her Ma could see her at Mary's house; it'd be easy since Mary lived right across the street.

Caelan threw some more clothes in her suitcase and shook her head. "Three years. Three years of being nothing but angry with them. Now suddenly I have to see them." She looked up at the ceiling and sighed in frustration. "Just my luck."

She exited her bedroom and went to the kitchen, looking for her purse. She pulled a new pack of cigarettes from the bag and opened it. "Only took one phone call to get me smoking again." She said to herself as she lit one and exhaled slowly. She moved to the fridge, opened it and pulled out a bottle of coke. Caelan also pulled a bottle of rum down from atop the fridge. "This should make packing a little more fun." She made her drink and headed back towards her room to finish.

"Maggie, are ye ready? We have to be at the airport in 10 minutes." Connor said as he looked down at his watch.

"I'm sorry. I'm just making sure I've got everything." She called from her room. She finally met him in her living room, dragging a rolling suitcase behind her. "Ok. I'm ready."

Connor smiled at her. "Are you sure you've got everything?"

Maggie looked down at her bags. "I think so."

"You're not missing any little black boxes?"

She gave him an odd look. "Um, little black boxes?"

Connor took her hand in his. He placed a small, black box in her palm. Maggie looked up at him and he smiled. "Open it."

She opened it carefully. Inside laid a round diamond set into a silver band. She looked up at him again in shock. "Is this…Are you….?

Connor dropped down to one knee and took her hand again. "Maggie will ya' marry me?"

She shook her head in disbelief. "Oh my God Connor, yes!" He jumped up and grabbed her, pulling her into a tight hug. He then kissed her soundly. Maggie's head was spinning as he slipped the ring onto her finger. "I can't believe this! I can't believe you're doing this now as we're about to leave."

"Why not?" Connor said with a smile.

"Well, how can I thank you properly?" She smirked at him.

"It'll just have to wait." He winked at her. "Come on, Da and Murph are waitin' for us." He grabbed her bigger suitcase and headed for the door, Maggie floating behind him.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Cae? It's not too late to change your mind." David asked her as their cab pulled up to the curb at JFK International airport.

Caelan bit her lip. "Yes. I'm going." She looked over at her friend. "I don't know, David, I feel like I have to do this."

"I know…You keep saying that…But why? I mean, I know they're your family but…" He took her hand in his. "I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I know. You're a good friend." Caelan allowed a small smile.

David opened the door and stepped out, and then he helped Caelan out. The cabbie had already gotten her luggage out of the trunk. Caelan looked down at her bags, double checking that she had everything. "Well, this is it. You'll have some peace and quiet for two whole weeks." She smiled at him, trying to lighten the mood.

David regarded her cautiously. "I still don't like that you're doing this. You call me if anything happens."

"I will." She kissed him on the cheek. "Thank you."

"Good luck." He said as he watched her walk away. Caelan turned to give him a final wave before heading into the airport. David just shook his head and got back into the cab.

Please fasten your seatbelts, and thank you for choosing Aer Lingus.

Caelan watched out the window of the airplane as New York got smaller and smaller. She pulled her ipod out of her bag and slipped the headphones on. She turned it on and shut her eyes, trying to will herself to sleep. When she awoke, she'd be Ireland, but she'd find no peace there. Not this time.

_"Come on, Cae. Ma's not gonna care." Murphy said as he stood from the black-padded chair in the tattoo parlor. "We're leavin' tomorrow…Ya gotta get tattooed with us."_

_16-year-old Caelan shook her head. "No way. Ma'll chop off my hand, and then I would have gotten tattooed for nothing. No deal."_

_"No she won't. You think she cares? She's got a strawberry on her shoulder." Connor added as he admired his newly-tattooed hand. "She got it when she was 16, remember."_

_"No, I don't remember. I wasn't born yet." She smirked at him._

_"You know what I meant."_

_"Yeah, I know. It's not so much the tattoo part…That doesn't bother me. But getting a tattoo on my hand…I don't know about that."_

_"Well, get it somewhere else then. Ya just gotta do it. We can't head to the States until you do." Murphy made his lip quiver and stared at her wide-eyed like he was about to cry._

_Caelan sighed, defeated. "Alright. I'll do it." She sat down in the chair and slowly leaned back. "But if Ma gets pissed, I'm leaving with you."_

_On Murphy's right hand, Aequitas. Latin for Justice. On Connor's, Veritas, meaning Truth. For Caelan, Ferocitas. Courage, forever written over her heart._

Caelan awoke with a start as the plane touched down. Once they were safely stopped, she quickly gathered her bags and hurried towards the front of the plane. As she walked towards the terminal, she started to feel anxious. She came upon a bar inside the terminal and ducked inside for a moment. It was almost strange to her to hear the people around her speaking with accents like hers. Everyone was also smoking, which was a welcome sight since New York hadn't allowed smoking in bars for some time.

She made her way to the bar and threw some money to the bartender. "Shot of whiskey, please." The bartender nodded and gave her the shot. Caelan threw it back in one gulp, placing the glass back down in front of her. The bartender regarded her.

"Another, lass?"

Caelan shook her head. "No. This'll do for now." She thanked him and headed out.

She made her way towards the baggage claim and finally caught sight of Mary. She smiled when she saw her and quickened her pace. Mary spotted her and smiled, pulling her into a tight hug when they finally met.

"Phew! Did you drink on the plane?" She asked.

"No, but I did a shot in the bar as soon as I got off the plane."

"I see…It's so good to see you, Cae." She hugged her friend again.

"You too, Mare. I really appreciate this."

"You know you're welcome any time." Mary threw her arm around her, and the two walked towards the baggage claim.

_"Your brother Murphy…He's kind of cute…Does he have a girlfriend?" Mary asked nervously._

_"No." Caelan replied nonchalantly. "He did have his eye on Emily Hannigan for awhile, though. Thank God he came to his senses."_

_"Oh, so that's the type he likes? The drop-dead gorgeous blonde ballerina type?"_

_Looking at Mary O'Neill, at first glance you probably wouldn't even notice her. It wasn't that she wasn't pretty, she was plain. She had long, light-brown hair that she usually wore back in a headband. She wore glasses, and she never really wore much makeup, but she had freckles on her nose and cheeks._

_Caelan had tried to reassure her that she was beautiful, because she really was, but Mary always took the compliments as part of Caelan's duty as her best friend._

_"Murphy doesn't like girls like Emily Hannigan. He just likes to look at girls like Emily Hannigan. Besides that, once you get past her looks, that's pretty much it with her. Her brains are in her chest." Mary laughed. "I could talk to him if you want."_

_"Oh Lord no! You can't do that." Mary sighed. "Besides, isn't he going to the US with Connor next year?"_

_"Yeah." Caelan replied. Her brother's departure to the states was not something that she was looking forward to._

_"And a year after that, you're gonna leave me too."_

_"Yeah. My mother is insisting. She always wanted her children to visit the US. Something about us being 'worldly' or some shit."_

_Mary laughed. "Well, you already speak a hundred different languages. Why do you even have to go? The three of you are the worldliest people in our town and you've never even left it once!"_

_Caelan chuckled. "A hundred is a bit of a stretch."_

_"Still, you know more than anyone else in our town…Any one else in the county, even!"_

_"Why don't you come with me? We could share a flat."_

_"Nah. My mom is the polar opposite of yours. She'd never let me leave Ireland. My destiny is to work in my families shop for the rest of my life."_

_"You could visit?"_

_"As often as I can."_

_"Let's change the subject. I'm not leaving for two years…We've still got time."_

_"Right. Want to stop by my shop? Grab a drink or something?"_

_"Your shop?"_

_"Might as well get used to it. Maybe someday I could change it into a boutique or something. Something a little more glamorous?"_

_"You can do anything you want. It'll be your shop."_

_"Hey, isn't that Connor and Murphy there across the street?"_

_"Sure is. Hey Murph! Come say hello to Mary!" Caelan yelled across the street._

_"Caelan!!"_

"Wow. I still can't believe I'm here. I'm actually kind of nervous." Maggie said to Connor as the exited the plane. Connor took her hand and kissed it.

"Don't be nervous. Ma can be kinda' loud, but she's gonna' love ya'." Maggie nodded.

Will was feeling nervous himself. It'd been 25 years since he'd seen his wife, Annabelle. He had spoken to her on the phone, and she seemed excited at the prospect of seeing him, but he was unsure of how she'd react when she actually saw him.

The four turned the corner towards the baggage claim, and it was then that he saw her. Murphy had seen her too, so he sprinted ahead of the group. His mother greeted him with open arms. "Murphy! My Murphy is home." She pulled out of the hug and held her at arms length, studying him. "You're not eatin' enough. You're skin and fuckin' bones."

Murphy laughed. "I'm fine, Ma." He hugged her again. Connor and Maggie had caught up to him.

"Connor!" She released Murphy and moved to Connor, pulling him into a tight hug. She then held him at arms length like she had done for Murphy, her gaze switching between Maggie and her son. "You have something to tell me, don't'cha, boy?"

"Ma, this is Maggie. Maggie Ashford. My fianceé."

Annabelle grinned. "Oh Lord. I thought I'd never see the day that my sons would marry." She then pulled Maggie into a tight hug. "Let me look at ya'." She held her at arms length, studying her carefully, "Oh my dear. What's a lovely girl like you doing with one of my sons?"

Maggie laughed. "It's nice to meet you Mrs. MacManus."

"Call me Ma." It was then that Will joined the rest of the group. Annabelle turned to face him. "Will." She felt her face flush. "It's good to see you."

"Anna." It was all he could muster. He took her hand in his and gently kissed it, his eyes never leaving hers. They stayed that way for a time, but Annabelle eventually broke the gaze.

"Well. Ye all must be tired from the trip." She said quickly as she handed her keys to Murphy. "You remember the way home, right Murph?"


	3. Chapter 3: Look What You've Done

Author's note: You've probably caught on already, but just in case…The italics mean flash-back time.

Chapter 3 – Look What You've Done

Maggie wandered around the family room, taking her time so she could study the many pictures framed and stationed around the room. She saw one of Connor and Murphy on the mantle when they were little, grinning madly for the camera. She chuckled as she reached for the picture, but stopped when another caught her eye.

It was a woman, Maggie guessed her to be in her twenties. She wore a semi-serious expression, not quite smiling. She had sharp hazel-colored eyes and long, curly auburn-colored hair. She was beautiful, and she could see Murphy and Connor in her. There was a definite resemblance.

Maggie carefully picked up the frame and turned towards the kitchen where Annabelle had been cooking. "Is this Caelan, Ma?" She asked.

Annabelle entered the room and stood beside her, smiling warmly as she took the picture from her. "Aye. That's my Caelan, my jewel." She gazed lovingly at the photo.

"Does she visit a lot? When was the last time you saw her…If you don't mind my asking."

Annabelle's expression hardened at the question. She returned the photo to it's resting place on the mantle. "No me dear, I don't mind ya askin', in fact, I was wondering where she might be me'self." She took care in straightening the photo. "She had been plannin' a visit for awhile now. I was so excited when she told me she was going to be home. She made all the arrangements for this week and next."

"This week? Well that's great news! The whole family will be together." Maggie noticed Ma wasn't sharing her enthusiasm. "Caelan's not coming now, is she?"

"Aye…When she heard her Da was here, she changed her mind. She said she'd think about comin'. That was a few days ago…Haven't heard from her since."

Maggie was sad for her. "I'm sorry, Ma."

Annabelle turned to face her again. "It's alright, lass. I really don't blame her for not wanting to come. She's very angry with her father, and she was with me too for a long time." She gazed up at the photo again. "Still, I wish she'd come home, I miss her somethin' terrible."

Maggie pursed her lips together. "Where was that picture taken?"

Annabelle chuckled. "Caelan hates havin' her picture taken. Her friend Mary brought this back for me last time she visited her in New York."

Murphy chose this moment to enter the room. He peered over at them, curious about what they were discussing. "What did Mary bring ya'?"

"Nosey, aren't we?" Ma placed her hands on her hips. "Mary was kind enough to bring me a photo of that rotten sister a' yours."

Murphy snatched it from the mantle, studying it intently. "Ah, Caelan. I miss her. This is a nice shot of her but would it kill her to smile? Where is she anyway?"

"She's busy these days." Annabelle said as she snatched the photo from her son, returning it to the mantle. "In fact, I don't even know where she is. Ungrateful peasant hasn't called in weeks."

Maggie sent Ma a sideways glance. She heard the lie but she didn't say anything about it.

"Murphy, go across the street and invite Mary over for dinner. I'm sure she'd love to see you and Connor."

"Alright, Ma."

Maggie watched for him to leave, then she turned back to face Ma.

"Mary's parents died in a car accident a few years ago, the poor dear." Maggie wordlessly raised an eyebrow. Annabelle noticed, "I know what you're gonna say. I lied to my son. I suppose I should tell you why." She turned to and started to make her way back towards the kitchen. "Caelan's angry at them too… Murphy and Connor."

"Why?"

"She told me once that she feels like they betrayed her." Maggie looked at her, confusion clear in her face. "I've already said too much. Please keep that between us, ok Maggie?" Maggie nodded silently. "Caelan will tell them eventually, when she's ready. I don't want to upset me boys. They just got home."

She returned to the kitchen and Maggie stood and thought, quietly trying to figure out what her brothers and father could have done to upset Caelan so much…

"Cae, you're absolutely killin' me. You've been here two days already. When are you gonna go over there?"

"I'm not goin' over there. I already told ya', I changed my mind." Caelan turned from the window to face her friend. "And what's with you? Have I worn out me welcome already?" She smirked at her.

Mary moved closer to her, placing her hands on her friend's shoulders. "Of course not. You can stay with me as long as ye want. The whole point of this trip was for you to visit your Ma, though. Why didn't you just cancel it?"

"Do you know how much this trip cost me?" Caelan said, half joking.

"I don't know if you've noticed, but you've been spendin' an awful lot of time sittin' at that window."

"Is it a crime to look out the window?" She said in mock-defense, turning back towards the window in question.

Mary crossed her arms across her chest. "Oh, it's no crime. But don't you find it a tad odd that this particular window overlooks your house?"

"Coincidence. And besides, I've been tryin' to scope out that girl Connor had with em'. You said yourself you didn't get a good look at her."

"We could just go over there."

"No we – Wait a second…Murphy's coming this way…Shit!" Mary rolled her eyes as Caelin scrambled away from the window. She jaggedly pointed at Mary. "Don't you dare tell him I'm here."

Mary batted her finger away. "Don't you point that talon at me!"

"Talon? The fuck?"

"Yeah. Talon. Chickens have talons."

"Mary I swear…" There was a knock at the door.

"I have to answer that. Are ye coming?"

"No."

"Fine then. I'm telling him." Caelan started to protest but Mary simply raised her hand. "You want to be mad at them forever? Your brothers?" Murphy knocked again.

"Hello? Mary? Are you home?" They could hear his muffled voice all the way upstairs.

Caelan's fight began to waver at the sound of his voice. "Alright. Let him in. I'll be down."

Mary pointed at her non-existent wrist-watch. "Five minutes or else I tell him."

"Alright! Jeez! I just want to check my face."

Mary scoffed. "Gonna pretty-up for Murphy?"

"Heh. I'll leave that to you." Mary blushed. "You know he's gonna try an' make me go back with him. I have to be prepared."

"I'll come with you if he succeeds."

"God damn right you will." The two of them quickly made the sign of the cross at Caelan's curse. "Now go get the door, bitch."

Murphy was about to walk away from the house when Mary finally answered the door. He turned and smiled when he saw her. "Hey! Mary O'Neill!"

"Wow! Murphy MacManus!" Murphy pulled her into a tight hug. Mary felt a flutter in the pit of her stomach at the gesture, but she pushed it aside. She hadn't had a crush on Murphy since she was sixteen.

She broke the hug and held him at arm's length. "God Murph, you haven't changed at all since we were kids. You've still got that baby-face."

Murphy chuckled. "You look good, Mare. You seem less shy, too."

Mary's ears pinked. "Touché. What brings you back to these parts?"

"Visitin'. We had to. Ma was drivin' us crazy."

Mary laughed. "Well, how long has it been?"

"Too long." Murphy smiled at her, and Mary felt her face flush. She looked different to him now. Her glasses were gone, and the freckles had faded a little. Mary had always been pretty girl, but Murphy noticed that she had grown into a woman. A beautiful one.

"You cut your hair?" He found himself reaching out to brush her hair from her shoulder.

Mary bit her lip as she absently smoothed the hair that he had touched. "Yeah. A long time ago. Wanna come in?" She opened the door wider, allowing him inside.

"Sure." He stepped in, taking in Mary's house. It'd been years since he'd been inside.

"So what can I do for you, Murph?" She said, trying her best to sound confident.

"Ma wanted me to invite you over for dinner tonight. You know how she worries about ya."

"Ma is so sweet."

"Have you talked to Caelan lately?"

Mary was afraid he was going to ask that. "Yeah…Recently." She avoided giving too many details. 'She better get her ass down here.' She thought to herself.

"I just thought, since we were here…" Murphy stopped suddenly, glancing over Mary's shoulder.

Mary spun around to see that Caelan had appeared on the stairs. She tried to read her face but it was totally blank.

"Caelan? You're here?" Murphy smiled.

"I am."

He was puzzled why she didn't seem happy to see him. He stepped closer to the stairs. "When did you get back?"

"Two days ago."

Now he was confused and slightly annoyed. "You've been home for two days and you haven't been home yet?" He took a few steps closer to the stairs.

"I'm staying with Mary." Caelan remained where she was.

"What's with you? Ain't ya' happy to see me?" His voice was almost pleading. "Connor's here too."

"That's great, Murph. And our father is there too, right?"

Murphy suddenly understood why she was acting this way. He looked away from her. "Yeah. He's here too."

Caelan finally made her way to the bottom of the stairs. Murphy watched her carefully. She moved to stand in front of him. He had never seen his sister look at him this way before...he didn't like it.

"I had planned this trip awhile ago, for Ma. But now I'm staying here with Mary until I leave."

Murphy swallowed a knot that had suddenly grown in his throat, but he didn't look away from her. "This hurts, Cae."

Caelan took a deep breath, her rage boiling just beneath the surface. "Hurts does it? Is it painful for you? Is it anything like the pain I've felt since I learned he was alive? 25 years worth of hurt…Does it feel like that?"

Murphy took a step backwards, Caelan took one forward. "To be betrayed by my own flesh and blood…My _brothers_? Tell me Murphy…Does it feel like that!? Does it!?" Mary watched the scene quietly. Her heart broke when she heard her friend's words, but she knew it had to be said.

"I would never hurt you like that. You have to know that." His voice was shaky. Caelan noticed it but she stood her ground.

"It's too late." Caelan turned away from him, towards the door, opening it with a heavy sigh. "I have nothing more to say to you. You can tell Ma that I'm here if she wants to see me."

Murphy regarded her. He didn't know what to say to her, to make the pain go away. He was so busy with his life in Boston that he and Connor had completely written her out of their lives. Her wounds were deep. So he did as she wanted. He left without another word.

Caelan closed the door behind him and rested her head against it, eyes shut tightly. Mary watched her cautiously, waiting to see what she would do next. Suddenly the floodgates opened, and Caelan slid to the floor. Mary seized the moment and dropped down beside her friend, pulling her into a tight embrace. Caelan gripped Mary tightly, sobbing into her shoulder. Mary just held her, gently rocking her back and forth, fighting back tears of her own.


	4. Chapter 4: It Must Be Hell

Chapter 4 – It Must Be Hell

"Murphy's been gone awhile. I wonder what he and Mary are doin' over there." Connor said.

Maggie gave him an odd look. "He went to invite her to dinner. They're probably just catching up."

"Yeah, yer' probably right." Connor leaned back in the recliner. "Ya' know…Mary used to have a wicked crush on him. Murph always kinda' liked her too, but he'd be damned before he'd admit it." He peered at Maggie through devious eyes.

Maggie put down the magazine she had been reading. "Really? Isn't that interesting…How long ago was this?"

Connor crossed his arms behind his head. "Oh, I dunno…She and Cae were 16 I think."

Maggie gave him a playful look. "Is that a fact?"

Connor looked at her in amazement. "What!? It's true! You can ask Murph when he gets back." His attention switched to the front door. Murphy had entered as if on cue, abruptly slamming the door behind him. "Murph? Are ye alright?"

Murphy stormed towards him. Connor sat straight up when he saw his face. His twin was definitely not alright. "I need to talk to you." He said sternly.

"What is it?"

"Alone."

Connor exchanged a concerned glance with Maggie before rising to follow his brother towards the back door through the kitchen. Maggie fought the urge to run after them. She didn't want to intrude. She wondered what Mary had said to Murphy to upset him so much. She glanced towards the kitchen before reluctantly picking up her magazine again, absently flipping through the pages as she waited for Connor to return.

Murphy was the first outside. He immediately lit a smoke and tossed the pack to Connor once he had the door closed behind them. "Guess who I just saw at Mary's?"

"I give up." Connor said as he lit his cigarette. He tossed the pack back to his brother.

"Caelan. Caelan is there Connor, and she was NOT happy to see me."

Connor shook his head. "Wait, Caelan, our sister Caelan?"

"How many fucking Caelans do you know Con? Christ."

"Alright. Easy…Let me think." He rubbed his head in frustration. "What's she doin' at Mary's? And why hasn't she come home yet? How long has she been there?"

"She's been there for two fuckin' days. Two fuckin' days…Right across the street." Murphy started pacing. "The way she looked at me…It was like I was a fuckin' stranger to her."

"What did she say to you?"

"She said she'd been plannin' ta come home for awhile now, it was just a coincidence that we were here at the same time." Murphy stopped and stared his brother straight in the eye. "She's apparently furious with us. She won't come near the house while we're here."

Connor was trying to piece together an answer from Murphy's jumbled statements. "Why would she be mad at us? What the fuck did we do?"

"It's what we didn't do, Connor."

"The fuck does that mean?"

"While we were crusadin' around quiet city Boston with Da, we totally neglected her. Did you even call her once to tell her that Da was alive?"

Now it was starting to make sense. "No." Connor slightly hung his head.

"Well neither did I. Now we show up here with him, and you've got Maggie…" Murphy took one last drag of his cigarette before stomping it out in the grass. "She feels like we betrayed her."

"Like she's been replaced."

"Maybe. Ma musta' told her about Da. It's the only way she could have known." He started slowly pacing again. "Why's it gotta be this way, Connor? Why can't we all just be happy for five fuckin' minutes?"

Connor scoffed. "I don't know Murph, but I'll be glad when this is all over. Poor Caelan. All the pain we caused her…Us and our thick fuckin' heads. Ma always said 'Family first. It's the only thing that matters over everything else.' And what do we go and do?"

"We gotta talk to her."

"And say what? An 'I'm sorry' isn't gonna do it this time."

Caelan sat weakly at the end of the kitchen table. She propped her head up with her hand, a tissue balled up inside her fist. Her eyes were red and puffy from crying. Mary was making some tea. Caelan sniffed and slowly turned in her chair to face her. "Mary, remember when I said that I only trusted me brothers with me heart and soul?"

Mary turned and placed a mug of hot tea in front of her. "Aye?" She was confused as to why she would bring this up to her so soon. She sat down in the chair beside her placing a mug in front of them both.

"That was a lie. I can trust you too."

Mary pressed her lips into a small smile. She lightly took her friend's hand. "I knew that was a lie." She winked, "I can see right through ya'." The two softly laughed and Caelan took a sip of her tea. "Are ye feeling any better?"

"Surprisingly, yes." Caelan replied weakly. "I've been holding all of that in for so long. I almost feel bad that Murphy was here to catch all of it alone."

"Oh, I'm sure Connor will have his chance soon enough." She couldn't help but smirk at the thought.

"Was I wrong?" Caelan asked, doubting herself, "Was I too hard on him?"

Mary furled her eyebrows. "No. They've hurt you. I'd feel the same way…You had to be honest with them."

Caelan rubbed her eyes in frustration. "You didn't see the look on his face…He had his back to you. I was fighting the urge to just grab him and hold onto him." A small tear had escaped. "I just wanted him to feel the hurt that I felt, that I still feel."

Mary held her hand again. "This was just step one, me friend. It isn't going to be easy from here on out." Caelan nodded her agreement. "But you're the one in control here. They play by your rules when you're good and ready."

Caelan slowly stood from her chair. "I think I want to lie down for a bit." Mary nodded silently and watched as her friend slowly left the room.

_"Come on Mary! Just have a beer with us. This is our goin' away party." Murphy nudged Mary with his shoulder. Caelan winked across the table at her friend._

_"Well, alright. We're not even 18 yet." She said as she reluctantly took a sip._

_"This is our Uncle's place, Mare. We've been drinkin' here for years. Don't sweat it." Connor added. Mary just shrugged and took another sip. A small hiccup escaped just as she set her glass down. The three laughed and Mary did too once she stopped blushing._

_Caelan always felt bad for Mary when she went out with her and her brothers. Mary always had a crush on Murphy and it seemed like every time she was with his she'd somehow embarrass herself. Caelan tried over and over to reassure her that the embarrassment was all in her head, but it was no use._

_Caelan glanced around the room, looking for no one in particular. It was pretty busy that night; it always was on a Friday. She glanced over at the bar and accidentally made eye contact with the sleaziest looking man in the place. She quickly looked down at her beer, nervously taking a sip. 'Please don't come over here' she repeated over and over to herself. Connor noticed her sudden unease._

_"What's the matter?" He leaned in close._

_"There's this guy over at the bar. I think he was staring at me…I'm afraid he's gonna come over."_

_Connor carefully looked over at the bar. "Who? The greasy blonde with the beer gut?"_

_"Yes. That's the one."_

_"He's comin' over this way."_

_"Shit. I knew it."_

_"Want me to intercept him?"_

_She sighed. "No, I'll take care of him myself." Caelan looked up from her beer in just enough time to see the man reach their table. He was even more gross-looking up close._

_"Good evenin', me lady." He slurred his words as he spoke. "Would ye fancy a twirl around the floor?" Connor was glaring at him. Murphy and Mary had just become aware of the situation._

_Mary couldn't help but cringe. The man had dark blonde hair that looked like it hadn't been washed in a week. He wore a plain white shirt that had been splattered with various food stains. He was so drunk he didn't even look like he could stand in one place without falling over. Murphy was about to stand and physically remove the man from their table when Caelan finally spoke._

_"What's yer' name?" She asked._

_"John. John Darby. And ye must be Angelica."_

_Caelan furled her eyebrows in confusion for a moment. "Uh, no. I'm not Angelica."_

_"Really? Cause' you look pretty damn angelic to me!" He laughed slightly at his line. Connor and Murphy were both sneering at him and Mary watched Caelan for a reaction. "So what's it gonna be, doll? Dance?"_

_Caelan rolled her eyes slightly. "Sure. One quick spin." She started to stand from the table, Connor snatched her hand. "I'll be right back." She gave him a reassuring look before accompanying Mr. Darby to the dance floor. Mary shook her head._

_"You see that? That's why everyone love's your sister. She's one of the kindest people I know."_

_Murphy turned back towards Mary. "Yeah well, she just became Saint Caelan, patron Saint of the homely drunks in my book."_

_Connor watched his sister carefully. He could see Caelan doing her best to smile and look like she was enjoying herself. Connor took a quick sip of his beer. He watched John's hands wander a little bit south of his sister's waist, but Caelan was quick to replace them. The song was almost over so he turned back to Murphy and Mary, still glancing behind him every few seconds. Mary noticed._

_"The song's almost over. Don't worry, Connor."_

_"Yeah, I know. That guy was just so damn nasty." He poured himself some more beer and as soon as his eyes were off the pair, John grabbed Caelan by the waist and pulled her closer. She tried to push away from him but it was no use. Soon he had her in a tight hold and was attempting to kiss her. Caelan resisted and was finally able to push him away. She slapped him hard across the face once he was at arms length._

_Connor turned back just in time to see his sister stomping back towards their table. He watched as John Darby grabbed her by the wrist, jerking her backwards so the two were face to face. Connor watched in slow motion as John wailed his sister across the face with his open palm. As soon as his hand met her face, Connor was on his feet. He practically vaulted over a nearby table and ran to the couple._

_Murphy snapped his attention to Caelan. He saw her standing across from Mr. Darby, her hand gripping her cheek, and then Connor ran past him. It didn't take much to figure out what had happened. Connor got to them first. He grabbed John by his filthy shirt and roughly threw him backwards. Murphy quickly made sure Caelan was alright before joining his brother. "What the fuck do ya think you're doin'?" Connor yelled._

_John struggled to steady himself. "Me? Fuck you for pushin' me. What, is that whore your girlfriend?"_

_"She's our fuckin' sister you fuckin' scumbag." Murphy said pointing at him._

_Mary had joined Caelan. The two watched in disbelief as the scene unfolded. Caelan sneered at him. She couldn't believe what she had heard. She stalked over to them, pushing past her brothers to stand face to face with Mr. Darby. "How dare you call me a whore." She started. "I took pity on your sorry ass and danced with you, then you try to cram your disgusting tongue down my throat and you have the gall to call me a whore?"_

_The bar had fallen silent, everyone was watching the scene. John looked around nervously. Connor and Murphy watched him carefully, waiting to see what he'd do next. "Yeah, well this bar fuckin' sucks anyway." He sneered at her. "Too bad, baby. You coulda' had me, fine stud that I am."_

_Caelan laughed out loud. "Yeah. Keep tellin' yourself that." Everyone in the bar laughed with her, and John was so embarrassed that he practically ran to the door. Once he was gone, everyone resumed what they had been doing. Murphy turned to face her._

_"Are you alright, Cae?" He said, carefully taking her chin in his hand, turning her face to examine where she had been hit._

_"Yeah, I'll live," She said, batting his hand away._

_"Ya shoulda let us kick his ass." Connor said._

_Caelan shrugged. "He was drunk. It was better that he just left."_

_"You did a fine job of hurting his pride, though." Mary said._

_"Yeah. It didn't take much." Caelan nodded back towards their table. "Come on, next round's on me."_

Maggie jumped as the kitchen door swung open. She returned her magazine to the table and stood, nervously watching as Murphy and Connor entered. Murphy stalked out of the kitchen, towards the stairs. He didn't even look at her. "Are you ok, Murph?" She asked cautiously.

Murphy swiftly turned to face her. "Mind yer own fuckin' business." He sharply turned away from her and ran up the stairs towards his room. Maggie shuddered when she heard the door slam.

She turned to Connor, who had rejoined her in the living room. "What the fuck was that about?" She snapped at him.

"Our little sister has been home for two days and she won't come near us. She's staying at Mary O'Neill's house for the time being. Murphy talked to her when he went to invite her to dinner."

Maggie stared at him, concern clear in her face. "Oh…I'm sorry, Connor."

Connor pulled out his pack of cigarettes, lit one, and then slid down into the recliner. "Yeah'. It's not a good situation."

"Why is she so mad at you?" Maggie asked. She couldn't imagine anyone being that mad at Connor and Murphy, especially their own sister.

"Murphy and I…Well, we kind of forgot about her. I haven't spoken to her in two years…at least."

Maggie gave him a confused look. "What do you mean you forgot about her? You and Murph have always said how close the three of you are. How could you go that long without speaking to your own sister?"

Connor looked down at the ashtray. "I guess we just got used to the idea that she'd always be there for us." He rubbed his eyes in frustration. "Everything was happening so fast when we were in Boston. Our friend Rocco died, then Da was back, then I met you when we were in New York. Somewhere in the thick of everything, Caelan was forgotten."

Maggie listened quietly. She felt sad for Connor and Murphy, but she felt worse for Caelan. She glanced up towards the stairs.

Connor noticed and shook his head. "Don't worry bout' Murph. He's always been the emotional one. Don't take it personally."

Maggie shook her head. "I just wish there was something I could do to help."

"Just saying that means a lot." He smiled at her and then glanced behind him, towards the kitchen. "Where's Ma? I haven't seen her for awhile now."

"She went to the market to pick up some things for dinner tonight. Your Da went with her."

_"Ello'?"_

_"Murphy?"_

_"Yeah?"_

_"It's Caelan."_

_"Caelan! How are ya? How's the big apple?"_

_"Not bad. I haven't heard from you guys in a long time. Thought I'd call ya and check up."_

_"Yeah, sorry about not callin' ya. Boston keeps us busy."_

_"So how are things?"_

_"Can't complain."_

_"That's all I get? A two-word response?"_

_"I'm sorry, Cae. I was kind of in the middle of somethin' before ya called."_

_"Oh, well is Connor there?"_

_"Nah he's out."_

_"Oh. Well, I miss you guys."_

_"Aw, we miss you too, Cae. Ya can't feel that way, make some friends, get out and have fun."_

_"I have friends…I just…I feel lonely."_

_"You'll feel better soon. Listen, Cae, I gotta go. I'm sorry about not bein' able to talk longer. I'll try to call you back soon."_

_"Right."_

_"Love you."_

_"Love you too, Murphy."_

Murphy lay on his back in his old bed, his arms crossed behind his head. He couldn't get the conversation out of his head. His sister had called him once to tell him she was lonely, and he was too busy to help her or even acknowledge what she was saying. He kept thinking about the sadness in her eyes. The way Caelan looked at him now, it really scared him.

He rolled onto his side. She had been angry at them for so long, and she came home to see their Ma, for some rest and peace, and he had gone and upset her further when he showed up at Mary's house. It was like pouring salt into an open wound. He found himself wondering what to do next. Would she ever forgive them? Would the three of them ever be close again?


	5. Chapter 5: Slipping Away

Chapter 5 – Slipping Away

"You look much better now."

"Yeah, it's amazing what a nap and a shower will do for a gal." Caelan joined her friend in the kitchen. She was dressed, but her hair was still wrapped up in a towel.

"I was thinking about going into town for something to eat. I don't really feel much like cooking. Wanna come with me? Get some air?"

"That sounds good. Murphy knows I'm here, I'm sure he's told everyone else by now. No need to hide out." Mary chuckled. "Let me just do my hair and we can go." Caelan headed back up to her room; actually, it was Mary's old room. When her parents died, she reluctantly moved into their room.

Caelan had stayed with her through the funeral, and for awhile afterward, but she couldn't stay forever. Caelan had always been thankful that her own Ma looked out for her, even when she couldn't.

She un-wrapped her hair and started to comb through it, not an easy task where naturally curly hair is concerned. She found herself wandering towards the infamous window as she combed. Peering outside towards her house, she was relieved to see that no one was outside. Caelan didn't want to run into her family as she left with Mary. 'I think I've met my confrontation quota for the day.' She finished up her hair, threw her damp towel over the foot board of her bead and rejoined her friend downstairs.

The pair were relatively quiet as they drove into town. Once Mary parked the car, Caelan opened the door and dropped a half-smoked cigarette on the ground, extinguishing it with her boot.

"I thought you quit?" Mary asked with a smirk.

"It's my brothers. They've driven me back to smoking." She confessed.

"Yet another reason to yell at them when you see them again." Caelan scoffed as the two walked arm-in-arm towards the restaurant.

After dinner, the two walked around town a bit, and Caelan stopped into a store to pick up a few things. Mary waited for her outside, leaning against the door frame of the shop, a deep yawn escaping from her mouth. It had been a long day, and she was looking forward to getting to bed. She was just about to close her eyes to relax for a moment when she heard a familiar voice from around the corner. She snapped her attention towards the sound and sure enough, it was Connor and Maggie was with him. Mary moved to the other side of the door to cut him off. He smiled for a moment when he saw her.

"How are ya, Mary?" He gave her a quick hug.

"Connor. It's good to see you." Mary glanced in Maggie's direction. "What brings you to town?"

Connor scrubbed the back of his head with his knuckles. "I'm sorry, this is my fiancée Maggie. Maggie, meet Mary O'Neill."

Maggie extended her hand and Mary accepted it. "It's nice to meet you, Mary. I've heard a lot about you."

Mary chuckled. "All good I hope."

The three shared an awkward pause. "Your sister is inside." Mary finally spoke again, motioning towards the store with her head.

Connor felt himself tense at the statement. He wanted to rush inside, but he fought the impulse. "I figured as much."

Mary was about to say something else when Caelan abruptly exited the store. "Mare, cigarettes are so cheap here! They're like ten bucks a pack in New York." Her mood suddenly changed when she saw her brother. "Connor."

Connor watched as her expression hardened. Now he knew how Murphy felt when he said she looked at him like he was a stranger, "Cae." It was all he could manage.

Caelan turned back to Mary. "I got everything I needed. Ready to head back?" Mary could hear her friend's voice getting shaky, so she nodded quickly to end the conversation.

Caelan started to walk away from them, and Mary followed. Mary could see the tears building in her friend's eyes.

"Hang on Cae, we're almost away." She put her arm around her for support.

Connor watched the pair as they walked away. His heart broke when he saw Mary put her arm around his sister. "I have to talk to her. We can't go on like this."

Maggie put her arm around him. "Tomorrow. Let's just get what we need for now and get home."

Connor silently nodded in agreement. He returned the embrace and entered the store, Maggie at his side.

The entire house had gathered around the table for breakfast. Once Ma and Da returned the night before, they were told of the situation with Caelan. No one was in the mood to talk much after that and it continued on into the next morning.

Murphy had apologized to Maggie the night before, but he hadn't slept well and still felt very tense about the whole situation. It was an awkward breakfast but Connor decided he'd take a chance and break the silence.

"Saw old man Flannigan at his store last night. His wife is doing a lot better, Ma. He wanted me to tell you."

Annabelle sighed. "That's good to hear. She fell and broke her arm, the poor thing."

"Saw Caelan last night, too." The table fell silent again, except for Murphy.

"Did she say anything to ya?" He asked, his voice hopeful.

Connor just shook his head. Murphy looked down at his plate.

"Well, I'm glad she's here. Just wish she'd come over and visit with me. Family was always very important to her." Annabelle said with a sigh.

Murphy glared at her, "The fuck's that supposed to mean?"

Annabelle glared at her son, "It doesn't fucking mean anything Murphy. I just miss my daughter," she snapped defensively.

Murphy kept going. "Family is important to Caelan, but not to me and Connor, is that what you meant?"

"No that is not what I fucking meant. Not everything is about you and your fucking brother in case you weren't aware." Annabelle stood from the table, turned to the counter and busied herself by making two more plates of food. "I'll be across the street," she said as she stomped from the kitchen.

"Ya know she didn't mean it like that." Connor said once she was gone.

"Yeah, well that's what it fucking sounded like to me." Murphy pouted, scowling.

Maggie stood from the table. "I'm going for a walk. I need to get some air."

"Want me to go with ye'?" Connor offered.

Maggie smiled at him. "No, that's alright. I won't go far." She gave him a quick kiss before heading to her room to change. Connor lit a cigarette from his pack and passed it to Murphy. Will did the same with his cigar.

"Boys, we need ta talk." He started.

"Oh, what now?" Murphy barked.

"Shut yer trap for a minute would ya?" He took a puff of his cigar. "I think it's time we retire. I don't think I'll be returnin' to Boston."

Murphy looked at him in shock. "What? What do ya fuckin' mean, retire? We can't just quit."

Connor looked at his brother. "I've been thinkin' about quittin' too, Murph. I can't put Maggie in danger and I can't risk somethin' happenin' to me."

Murphy couldn't believe what he was hearing. "This was never _our_ choice. The _almighty_ chose us, and not only that, we made a fuckin' promise to Rocco that we wouldn't stop. Did you forget about that, Connor?" He pointed at him with his cigarette.

"Fuck, Murph! You think I don't know all that?" Connor rubbed his eyes in frustration. "You wanna keep slummin' around Boston cleanin' up after a city that never even fuckin' thanked us once? Smecker's good, but he can't protect us forever. Don't you want more to your life? A normal life?"

Murphy looked down at the ashtray. He had never really thought about it, in fact, for whatever reason Murphy always felt that he wasn't allowed to think that way. Will stood from the table and put his jacket on.

"I have some business to tend to in town. Go easy on your mother. You're not the only ones upset about your sister." He looked at Murphy specifically. "We'll talk more about this later." He moved from the table and exited through the back door.

Connor shook his head. "When Ma gets back, we're goin' over there. Enough is enough."

Murphy looked at him. "Wait, and say what?"

"I don't know, Murph. I don't have a plan for this one."

Murphy sighed. "Alright. Let's do the dishes while we're waitin'."

_The Irish sun shone through sixteen year old Caelan's window, waking her from her restless sleep. Today was the day that Caelan had been dreading for years…possibly her whole life. Her brothers were leaving for America. She closed her eyes tightly, wishing desperately that she could sleep longer, hoping that sleeping would some how keep this day from happening._

_"Caelan Joan! Outta' bed, breakfast is ready!" Her mother called from downstairs._

_Caelan scowled as she got out of bed. She threw on her robe and made her way downstairs. Connor and Murphy were already dressed and sitting at the table. Caelan stopped in the kitchen doorway, silently watching her brothers eating breakfast, her mother doing the dishes behind them. She knew that this could be the last time she'd see them all this way. Caelan wanted to remember the sight forever._

_The morning had passed far too quickly. Now the four were in the car on the way to the airport. Connor was driving; their mother in the front seat beside him, Caelan and Murphy sat in the back. No one said much. What could they say? Murphy looked over at Caelan who had been staring out the window. He lightly touched her arm, and she looked at him. "You ok?"_

_Caelan nodded wordlessly, trying her best to smile at him._

_Now they were suddenly standing at the terminal in the airport. Caelan stared down at the floor while her brothers said their goodbyes to their mother. She was almost choking on the lump that had grown in her throat. She felt a hand on her shoulder and closed her eyes tightly. It was her turn._

_Caelan looked up at her brothers, her eyes teary. Connor smiled at her. "Don't be sad, Cae."_

_She didn't say anything. She just wrapped her arms around her brothers, clinging to them as long as she could. She eased out of their grip and took a quick swipe at her eyes. "Slán mo deartháireacha." (farewell my brothers) She said the Gaelic words quickly, her voice shaky._

_The brothers smiled at her before pulling her into another tight hug. Caelan didn't want to let go, but she knew she had to. Her mother moved to stand beside her as her sons slowly walked away from them. Caelan was sure she felt her heart break once they were out of sight._

_Annabelle was saying something to her, trying to comfort her, but she wasn't listening. Caelan inwardly cursed her mother for doing this to them. What was so bad about staying home? What was so great about America? Why split up the family?_

About an hour later, Maggie returned, and she felt much better. The Irish air had cleared her head, letting her think clearly. Once she was inside, she headed upstairs to look for Connor, but he was nowhere to be found. She was concerned because Murphy was missing too. She came back downstairs and entered to kitchen. Ma was sitting at the table reading the paper, cigarette in hand. "Ma, do you know where Connor and Murphy went?" She asked carefully.

"Aye. They went to speak to Caelan."

"Oh." Maggie absently ran her finger across the table. "Have they been gone long?"

"No. Ye just missed them actually."

"Oh."

Annabelle laughed loudly, so loudly that it made Maggie jump. She stood from the table and gave Maggie a hug. "Margaret me dear, everythin' is goin' ta be alright." She chuckled as she released her, returning to her seat. "You're sweet to worry, but ye don't have ta'. It may take all day, but the three of them will be alright."

"I hope so." Maggie said relieved. Something was still bothering her, but she didn't feel right about asking. Annabelle noticed.

"Was there something else, dear?"

Maggie nervously wrung her hands. "No…Well, yes. But it isn't any of my business."

"Whatever it is, you can ask. If I want ta answer ye, I will. If I don't, I won't."

Maggie nodded and eased herself into a chair at the table. "Well, it's about Caelan. You said before that she was mad at you for a long time…" Suddenly Maggie jumped up from her chair. "Nevermind. This really isn't any of my business."

"She was mad because I sent her brothers to America." Annabelle answered before Maggie had a chance to leave the table. "She was madder still when I sent her there two years later."

Maggie slowly sat back down in her chair. "Why did you send them away?"

Annabelle lit another cigarette. "My children were so smart, so bright. I didn't want them to waste their potential. I knew they'd do great things, but I had to send them somewhere where I thought they could."

Maggie nodded, taking in Ma's words. She understood Ma's decision, but she also understood why Caelan would be upset with her about it. "Is she still mad at you?"

"No. Caelan and I had a long talk on the phone a few years back. She told me everything, exactly what she felt. She made me realize that my decision may not have been the best one. I've only ever done what I thought was best for them. It's not like children come with fuckin' instruction manuals."

Maggie couldn't help but laugh. Annabelle flicked her cigarette into the ashtray in front of her. "Deep down Caelan really loves New York. I know she likes it better than Boston, but don't you ever tell Connor that."

Maggie chuckled again. She never had much for family and Annabelle was easy to talk to…It felt really good. Since she was marrying Connor, she'd be gaining a brother and a sister. It was like a wonderful bonus. She glanced over towards the counter. "Are there dishes? Can I do anything for you?"

Annabelle shook her head. "Me boys took care of everything while I was gone. I think I made em' feel bad at breakfast."

"But you didn't mean to..."

"I did if it means they do the dishes."

"You're good, Ma."


	6. Chapter 6: Emotional Rescue

Chapter 6 – Emotional Rescue

Connor and Murphy slowly approached Mary's house. They hadn't said a word to each other since they decided they'd speak to Caelan, even doing the dishes in silence. Now they were suddenly on Mary's doorstep, and they still had no idea where they would even begin. Connor raised his fist to the door and knocked hard.

This was it.

It didn't take long for Mary to come to the door. Her face showed relief and anxiety when she saw them. "Come on in guys." She said as she opened the door, allowing them inside. "Wait here for a minute, would ya?" The two nodded in silence as she headed towards the kitchen.

Caelan sat at the table in her usual chair, casually reading the paper. Her focus moved to her friend when she entered. She was suddenly concerned when she saw the look on her face. "What is it?"

"Your brothers are here."

"Both of em'?"

"Aye."

She looked back down at the paper. "Tell them to go."

Mary bit her lip. "I can't."

Caelan looked back up at her, suddenly irritated. "What do you mean you can't?"

"I can't stand seeing you this way, Cae. You have to talk to them." Mary grabbed her keys from the counter and her coat from the back of her chair. She bent down and kissed Caelan on the cheek. "I'm gonna go run some errands. Just do me a favor and try not to break anything valuable while I'm out, ok?"

She exited quickly before Caelan had a chance to protest. Murphy and Connor turned to face her when she reappeared in the hall. "She's in the kitchen, and you guys are on your own. Good luck." With that Mary took her leave, quietly closing her front door behind her.

Connor and Murphy tried to give each other a reassuring look before slowly heading towards the kitchen. Once they were there, they stood in the doorway and quietly watched Caelan. She sat at the table wearing a baggy sweatshirt and boxers with one leg propped up on the table, the other curled beneath her. It reminded Connor of their childhood. She always sat like that, but instead of the funny pages and bowl of cereal that used to sit in front of her, they were replaced with an ashtray and the New York Times. Caelan had grown up, but there were still traces of the little girl they used to tease and protect. He noticed she had a tattoo on her ankle. It looked like a bird of some kind, but her sock covered half of it. "When'd ya get that?"

"Last year…My 25th birthday." Even though the paper was blocking her view of them, Caelan knew exactly what he was talking about, and she answered quickly. She couldn't believe it. She gave herself an odd look before folding the paper and placing it on the table, and then removed her sock. "It's a phoenix holding a shamrock in its talon." She pointed to the parts of the tattoo as she described them.

Her brothers moved towards her to get a closer look. Murphy curiously tilted his head to the side and she suddenly felt herself fighting tears. She caught Connor's gaze for a moment, but she looked away. Her eyes were sad, but it did nothing to lessen their intensity. It used to scare him sometimes when she would glare at him when they were little. "It's really a nice piece, Cae." He finally said.

"Thanks." She replaced her sock and moved her legs so her feet were flat on the floor. She lit a cigarette, trying to keep her hands from shaking. "So what do you want?"

"We just want to talk to you." She heard Murphy's plea. More tears sprang to the surface, but she fought them. "Can we sit down?"

"Fine." Connor sat down in the chair beside her, Murphy moved to the other side of the table and did the same. He pulled his cigarettes from his pocket and lit one, then passed the pack to Connor who then passed it to Caelan, not even noticing that she already had one lit, it was just something they had always done. She almost lost it again. The three sat in silence for a moment when Murphy finally spoke.

"I wanted to tell you that I was sorry." He started.

Caelan scoffed. "Do you even know what you're sorry for?"

"A lot of things, but…You called me once, and I never called you back."

Connor and Caelan looked at him confused, "When?"

"Awhile ago. You called because you were lonely, and I was too busy to talk. I didn't even stop to consider what you were saying. You needed me and told you to get over it. Then I said I'd call you back and I never did…And for that, I'm sorry."

His words hit her hard. She didn't think he'd ever remember something as small as that conversation, she barely remembered it herself. She closed her eyes tightly and a small tear escaped.

"I'm sorry too, Cae." Connor's turn now. She braced herself for whatever he was about to say. "I'm sorry that you had to hear about our lives second-hand. That Ma was the one to tell you Da was alive, and that you've been hurting for so long, all alone.

Caelan couldn't fight it anymore. Her face twisted into a painful expression and she held her head in her hands. Murphy put his hand on her shoulder as she sobbed, but she just shook her head. "God! Why can't I stay MAD at you!?"

She snapped her attention back to her brothers, "You hurt me…You both hurt me so badly." Her sobs were choking her, but she continued. "For the better part of three years, three years I didn't hear for either of you. Not one phone call, not one letter, nothing. And then Ma tells me that my father is alive and well, and living with you in Boston. It was like someone stabbed me." She held her hand over her heart. "Right here." She took a long pull from her cigarette, calming herself down a bit.

Connor and Murphy gave no response, they just listened. "I had planned this trip home to see Ma and Mary for a long time, but when I heard you were gonna be here…I almost canceled it. For the first time in my life, I didn't want to come home."

Her cigarette was burning down to the filter, so she took a deep breath and finally put it out in the ashtray. She suddenly noticed how hot she was from all the emotions running through her, so she pulled her sweatshirt off. She wore a black tank top underneath. Over her heart the word ferocitas was tattooed in jet-black, it matched the tattoos Murphy and Connor had on their hands. Around her neck she wore a silver cross. It was celtic in design and bore a real shamrock encased in acrylic at its center. They recognized the symbols immediately.

"That cross…" Connor started.

"Your tattoo…" Murphy cut him off.

Caelan looked down at her chest. She lightly touched her cross, "Yeah. We had some good times together, the three of us. "Remember these? Remember what it was like for us all those years? The things we did together? Memories that I always held close to my heart…Memories I thought meant something…"

Murphy suddenly grabbed her and held her close to him, Connor followed suit, moving behind her to wrap his arms around her and Murphy. Caelan didn't fight it, she didn't pull away. The three were reunited, and she felt like she might finally be ready to forgive them. They stayed close for what seemed like forever, but Caelan eventually broke out of the hug.

"I can't breathe." She grabbed the cigarettes that Connor had placed in front of her earlier and lit one. Connor chuckled.

"You can't breathe, so you light a cigarette?"

"That's another thing. Mary wanted me to yell at you two. I've been so stressed out about this trip that I started smoking again." She held her lit cigarette out with two fingers.

"Does Mary mind ya smoking in her house?" Murphy asked.

"Surprisingly, no. Strangely enough she said that it reminds her of her parents. They used to smoke..." Her voice trailed off as she glanced around the room.

"Right. Car accident. Ma told us." Connor said as he lit another cigarette.

"Poor Mary." Murphy shook his head and looked down at the table. Caelan and Connor exchanged glances.

"So Murph, are you seeing anyone back in Boston?" Caelan asked.

Murphy looked up at his brother and sister. He noticed they were both smirking at him. "Oh you two are so fuckin' predictable. The fuckin' mention of Mary's name and you're all over me. I fuckin' feel bad for her cause' her parent's died. What the fuck?"

"I'm sorry, Murph. We were just playin' around." Caelan gave his arm a squeeze.

Murphy gave her a sideways glance. "But since you brought it up…Is Mary seein' anyone?" Connor and Caelan broke into hysterical laughter. The tension finally broke in the room and even though Murphy tried to keep a straight face, he eventually joined them.

"Well, Ma just told me Mary stopped over and picked up Maggie. Guess she took her out to dinner." Connor said as he hung up the phone.

Caelan shook her head. "Unbelievable."

"Why's that unbelievable?" Murphy asked.

"Well, a few years ago it would have been very unlike her to take initiative like that. She just met Maggie last night for all of two seconds." Caelan propped her feet up on the faded ottoman in front of her. The three had moved their conversation to the more comfortable locale of Mary's living room. "I'm just surprised. You remember how shy she used to be." Murphy shrugged and Caelan rested her head on his shoulder. "So much has changed."

Connor regarded her. "Well, Cae, people change."

Caelan took a deep breath. "Tell me about him."

Connor and Murphy exchanged a nervous glance. Connor repositioned himself in the recliner. "What do you want to know?"

Caelan sat up. "Well, for starters, how was it that Da ended up living with you? All Ma ever said when I asked about him was that he left when we were little. She never spoke badly about him; I mean nothing to suggest that he left on bad terms. I guess I just assumed he died."

Murphy turned his head towards her. "He was in prison, Cae."

Caelan sat up and gave him a confused look. "Why?"

Connor shifted uncomfortably in his chair. "Are you sure you want to talk about this now?"

Caelan looked him straight in the eye. "Yes, Conn. I have to know. If not now, when?"

Murphy lit two cigarettes, handed one to his sister, and then tossed the pack to Connor. "He was in prison for murder, sentenced to 25 years to life." Connor started.

Caelan went pale, her eyes wide, "Murder?"

"Believe me when I say it's not as bad as it seems." Murphy looked at her again

"Cae, do you read the papers at all? Watch the news?" Connor asked.

She shrugged. "I don't know…I guess. Sometimes. Why?

"Ever hear of the Saints of South Boston?" Murphy asked.

"I think so. I kind of remember hearing about them. They're the ones killin' all those mob guys, right? It's a trio if memory serves. What does that have to do with Da going down for murder?"

Murphy leaned in closer to her. "We're the Saints of South Boston."

Caelan's gaze switched between her brothers. She started to laugh and subsequently choked on the last drag from her cigarette. "You can't be serious!" She said between coughs. "There's no way! The only people you two ever tried to kill were each other…and me on occasion."

Her brother's faces were serious. Connor's was looking more stern. Caelan's laughter had slowed to a slight chuckle when she finally realized they weren't joking. She shook her head in disbelief. "You blurt it out just like that? It…It just doesn't make any sense."

"You said you wanted to know." Murphy said with a slight shrug.

Caelan felt a cold chill down her spine. "I don't believe this. You two are the Saints of South Boston. How is this even possible?" She started to raise her voice. She stood from the couch and started pacing around the room. "I assume our father was in on this…You said there were three of you. So how many people have you killed so far?" She stopped pacing to face them.

Murphy and Connor regarded each other for a moment, each silently adding in their heads. Caelan gawked at them in shock.

"You have to think about it?" She resumed pacing, she wrung her hands tightly to try and stop them from shaking, all the while muttering something incoherent in Gaelic.

"Caelan, calm down." Murphy stood from the couch and reached out to her, his hands firmly griping her shoulders.

"Murphy. I don't understand. You're…you're murderers. Both of you." Connor stood and moved to stand beside Murphy. She looked at her brothers in sheer terror.

"We can explain everything."

Caelan shook her head and eased out of Murphy's grip. "I need to get some air. I'll be right back." Connor moved to follow her, but she stopped him. "Let me be alone for a minute, alright?" He hesitated for a moment before nodding his understanding.

Caelan's legs were shaky as she left the room. She made her way towards the kitchen, towards the back door. Before she exited, she grabbed a bottle of whiskey from the cabinet. She put her sweatshirt back on and left through the door.

_Connor, Murphy, Caelan and Rocco all sat at the bar inside McGinty's. Actually, Murphy and Caelan were sitting on the high stools, Rocco and Connor stood behind them. Doc was behind the bar, pouring them another round of drinks._

_"Hard to believe something so pretty could be related to the likes of you two FUCK! ASS!"_

_Caelan propped her head up with her arm. "Aw, thanks Doc…I think."_

_"No, seriously. Doc's right. You are the most beautiful woman." Rocco slurred._

_Caelan looked at him curiously, one eyebrow was arched upward. "Rocco, you can just stop that right now. Your flattery isn't going to get you anywhere." She ended her statement by taking a shot of whiskey._

_Connor and Murphy erupted into hysterical laughter._

_"Psh. Your loss." Rocco downed his shot. "Should've known a sister to these two would be a stubborn ass. Just like your brothers."_

_Caelan's attention suddenly snapped to the old juke box in the corner. "Oh my God! I love this song!" She jumped from the stool and ran to the source of the music. "Doc! Turn it up!"_

_Doc did as he was instructed and Caelan pushed through the crowd towards an empty spot on the floor. She started moving to the music, not caring a bit that she danced alone. Rocco leaned towards Connor and Murphy. "Does she always do this when she's drunk?"_

_Connor laughed at the question. "She does this shit fuckin' sober, Roc."_

_A few people had joined Caelan on the "dance floor" and those who stood nearby clapped and cheered her on. Caelan was in her own little world, singing along with the song as she danced and spun._

_Eventually the song ended, and everyone applauded her performance. Caelan laughed and took a bow._

It had gotten dark outside, and the air was cold. She wasn't sure what to think, what to feel. Her brothers were murderers. She knew that…At least in her mind she knew that. But somehow in her heart she was finding it hard to judge them, or even be _angry_ with them. She was sure that her feelings couldn't be right.

Her hands were still shaking as she unscrewed the cap from the bottle and took a long sip. She didn't even flinch as she swallowed. Caelan absently touched her cross as she tried to process what her brothers had told her.

She reluctantly re-entered the house and slowly made her way back towards the living room. Murphy held his pack of cigarettes out to her as soon as she entered. She accepted one, but took a seat on the opposite end of the couch from where he sat. She lit it and took another sip of whiskey. "Ok. I'm a little calmer now. Start from the beginning."

Connor rubbed his eyes. "A bar fight."

"A bar fight. What does that mean?"

"That's how it all started." Murphy provided.

Connor and Murphy proceeded to tell her of the infamous St. Patrick's Day brawl that ended with the death of the Russian mafia soldiers. Caelan listened intently, her eyes wide with amazement and disbelief.

"We turned ourselves in, and that was when we first met Agent Smecker. He helped us out a lot. He's a good friend and an even greater ally." Connor said. "He let us stay the night in the holding cell at the police station, and that's when it happened."

"What happened?"

"Connor and I…We got a message from God that night. It woke us up out of sound sleep."

"The next morning, we received our first "assignment," a mob boss that had flown in for a meeting. We had one of the Russian's pagers for that night before. It was too bizarre to be a coincidence. We knew then that that was what God wanted us to do."

Caelan shook her head in disbelief again. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous this all sounds? God told you to kill all the evil men in Boston."

Murphy and Connor exchanged a glance before nodding.

"I can't believe you two are serious about all this…This new 'job' of yours…have you ever stopped to think about how twisted and psychotic it is? Anyone you think is evil…You kill them, and you don't think there's anything wrong with that?" She could feel herself starting to get upset again.

"Evil man, dead man." Connor stated.

"It's God's will. He chose us to deliver his punishments to those who deserve it." Murphy added.

"Listen to yourselves! How can you even begin to imagine that you have any clue whatsoever as to what God wants?"

"We can't explain it, Cae. It's just the way it is. Our father was chosen just like his father before him, and his father before him. But Da got caught. That's where he's been for all these years…That's why he went to prison." Murphy said as he extinguished his cigarette.

"That's another thing…Who's side are you two on? All these years it's always been the three of us and Ma. Now Da's back in the picture after 25 years and you guys are all over him like he never left. Well, I'm sorry but I just don't see myself giving a damn about him." Caelan was getting upset again so she took another quick sip of whiskey.

"That's your decision. You have every reason to feel that way towards him. It's easier for Connor and me to understand why he had to leave. It's hard to be a family man when you're in our line of work."

"The truth of the matter is that Da wants to see you. He wants to know you." Connor said, his voice holding a sympathetic tone.

"Oh, really? Then why hasn't he come here? Why hasn't he made any attempt to see me in the two years he's been back?" Caelan crossed her arms.

"Well, we thought about dropping in to see you when we were in New York, but we didn't want to ambush you," Murphy added.

"Murph!" Connor barked.

"Wait, you were in New York? When were you in New York?" Her gaze switched between her brothers.

Connor glared at his brother. "We were there hiding out. We took out a big Mafia boss in Boston, and we went to New York for awhile while things calmed down."

"Well this just keeps getting better and better. You were actually, physically in New York on an extended vacation and didn't even bother to come and see me."

"Well, it wasn't really a vacation, it wasn't safe." Connor said, scrubbing his knuckles against the back of his neck.

Caelan leaned back into the couch. Her cigarette had burned out long ago. She covered her forehead with her hand and breathed deeply. "You guys are like a emotional rollercoaster."

"We're sorry Caelan…"

"Does Ma know all this?"

"I think she knows why Da left. She had to know, and she must've been alright with it." Murphy started.

Caelan glared at him. "What makes you think that?" "Well, why else would she never say anything bad about Da, after all these years? Ma hates everyone and she'll make fuckin' sure you know it. You think she'd be quiet about her husband fuckin' leavin' her unless she was alright with it?"

"Wow. You thought of that all by yourself?"

"Fuck you, Connor."

Caelan heard herself laugh. Caelan loved her brothers more than anything in the world and she wanted to support them, but she felt what they were doing couldn't be more wrong. In her heart she wanted desperately to know her father; to be close to him and forgive him, but she was bitter and resentful that he left her and her family all those years ago. It was as if her brain was fighting her heart, yet neither one could emerge the victor.

"Say somethin' Cae."

"I still don't know what to make of all of this…my head…it just keeps spinning…"

"Well, if it's any consolation, Da really wants to see you. He told me so himself."

"What did he say?"

"He said he hoped someday you'd forgive him."

She smiled to herself, defeated. What was the point of resisting? So much time had been lost already. "Well, how can I forgive you two and not him?"

And then her brothers smiled.


	7. Chapter 7: Don't Look Back

Chapter 7 – Don't Look Back

The next day, Caelan relayed the bulk of the conversation she had shared with her brothers to Mary. She didn't tell her that they were the infamous Saints of South Boston. Caelan decided Mary didn't need to know that. That would be a secret shared between the MacManus family and them alone.

Connor and Murphy had convinced their sister to come home for the night. Their Ma had a big dinner planned, and she wanted everyone home. Mary had even been invited.

Caelan had spent the better part of the day getting ready. She changed her clothes over and over, and spent at least an hour doing her hair. She was extremely nervous about meeting her father and wanted to look her best. Smart and intimidating, but not too much.

After hour four of her primping, Caelan finally cursed herself for being so neurotic. She took one final look in her mirror before heading downstairs.

"Are you ready?" Mary asked her cautiously once Caelan reached the bottom of the stairs.

"I don't know. Ready as I'll ever be, I guess." She nervously pulled at her shirt. "Do I look ok?"

Mary smirked at her. "Yes, for the fiftieth time today. You're not going to change again are ya?"

Caelan stuck her tongue out at her. "No. I don't have anything left to try on"  
"Good, because your brothers are waiting outside." Caelan nodded as she put her coat on. Mary walked to the door and opened it for her friend.

Connor and Murphy turned to face her from the porch. They both smiled at her. "Ya look nice, Cae. You get a face transplant or somethin'?" Murphy asked.

"Fuck you." She smiled at him. Connor and Mary exchanged a smile. "I'm scared. I can't believe I'm scared to go home."

Connor took her hand. "It's alright. Don't be scared." He kept holding on to her as he led her away from Mary's house and towards theirs.

Caelan glanced behind her and saw Mary was still standing at the door. "You're not coming?" She stopped walking.  
Mary shook her head. "Not yet. I will in a bit."

"But…" Mary had become her strongest support through everything. Caelan didn't think she could face her father without her, but Mary smiled at her.

"It's what you've always wanted. You know it deep down...Let go of the past, dlúthchara." (best friend) The two locked eyes for a moment, and Caelan finally nodded. "I'll be over in a little while." Caelan nodded again and allowed Connor to lead her away.

Murphy opened the front door and entered first. "Ma, we're home!" He said.

Annabelle entered from the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron. "I never thought I'd live to see the three of ya' home at the same time!" She hurried over and hugged Caelan. Caelan returned the hug with one hand, her other still gripping Connor's. Ma held her at arms length. "Don't be nervous, daughter." She said softly. Annabelle turned back towards the kitchen. "Caelan, this is your father."

Will slowly stepped from the kitchen doorway and Annabelle moved to the side towards Murphy. Father and daughter were now face to face and Connor felt her grip tighten on his hand. He regarded her for a time, and Will found it impossible to look away from her eyes. "I would recognize ye anywhere." He finally said.

Caelan felt a lump growing in her throat. "It's…" She started to speak but she couldn't.

"I know I can never ask you to forgive me." He spoke again. "I just want you to know how proud I am of you, of how you've grown up. You're the most beautiful…" His voice trailed off as he fought a lump of his own.

Caelan closed her eyes tightly and let go of Connor's hand. Slowly, she walked closer towards her father, stopping an arms length away from him. Suddenly she threw her arms around him and buried her face in his chest. Da gasped. He wrapped his arms around her and rested his head on hers. This was what she had always wanted. She didn't want to be angry anymore.

Will gently pulled out of the embrace. He cupped Caelan's face in his hands and was relieved when she smiled up at him. He had been given a second chance to know his daughter, and even though it would take some time, he silently vowed to himself that he would. "You have your mother's eyes."

"I know."

He pulled her back to him and held her. Annabelle smiled at them. "Alright you two. How bout' you drag your worthless asses into the kitchen and give your poor, tired mother a hand." She said as she walked back towards the kitchen, dragging Murphy along with her.

"Wait, don't we even get a choice?" Murphy protested. Connor smiled at his Da before following.

The dinner table was lively and happy, and Caelan found herself glancing around her, quietly watching her family, taking in what they were saying, watching them be themselves. It was almost surreal. This was the happiest she had felt in a long time. She looked over at her father and noticed he had been doing the same thing. Their eyes met, and she smiled at him.

"And then we brought Cae home…When Ma saw what she had done…Man she was pissed." Caelan's attention went to Murphy, who had been telling a story.

"What?"

Murphy tapped his chest. "Your tattoo, remember?"

She looked down at her chest in confusion for a moment. "Oh, yeah. Ma was pretty pissed. She grounded me for a month."

"Did you show her your other one?"

Caelan looked at him wide-eyed. "Oops." Murphy gritted his teeth. "If you're gonna try to hide somethin' from Ma, you should probably tell us."

Caelan sent her mother a sideways glance. "It's a lot prettier than this one." She pointed to her chest.

"Quit getting' Cae in trouble, Murphy." Mary said in mock-defense. "What about that time you took Connor's favorite teddy bear and gave it to that girl…What was her name?"

"Molly Ryan." Caelan provided.  
Murphy glared at Mary. Connor looked at his brother in shock. "You fucking told me you lost that!"

Maggie turned and gave him a playful look. "You had a favorite teddy bear?"

"Yes I did. His name was Stanley." He glared at Murphy. "I can't believe you fucking gave my bear to Molly Ryan."

"You are so fuckin' dead, O'Neill." Murphy said to Mary.

Annabelle scoffed. "Oh Lord what did I do to be cursed with children such as these?" She raised her eyes to the ceiling and closed her hands in "prayer". Everyone at the table laughed. Caelan slowly shook her head and smiled.

After awhile, Caelan excused herself from the table and headed up to her old room. Once she was inside, she collapsed face-down into her bed. She laid there for a minute before rolling onto her back, grabbing the phone from the nightstand. "I owe ya Ma." She said as she dialed. Curling the phone cord with her fingers, she quietly waited for the call to connect.

_"Hello?"_

"David?"

_"Caelan? Is that you?"_

"The one and only."

_"How are you! How is Ireland?"_

"It's amazing. Guess where I am."

_"Hmm…A five-star hotel, you've got a glass of champagne in your hand, and you're just about to settle into the hot-tub. Am I right?"_

She chuckled. "Close. I'm laying on my old bed at my mother's house. I just had dinner with…Get this…Both my brothers, Connor's fiancée, Mary, my Ma and my Father."

_"Wait a second…Your brothers and your father?"_ He paused for a moment._ "Are you alright? How did it go?"_

"It was perfect."

_"Perfect, huh? You sound like you're handling everything well."_

"It's been an emotional few days."

_"I bet."_ There was another pause. _"You're coming back end of next week, right?"_

Caelan bit her lip. "Yes, but…David there's something I have to tell you."

_"You're going to stay there aren't you?"_

"Aye. I really want to."

David didn't say anything for a long time. _"Figures. The only real person I've ever had as a friend in this godforsaken city, and now you're thinking of packing up and taking off."_

Caelan chuckled, "I know…So much has happened. I don't think my Da is going back to Boston…And what if my brothers stay too? It's like we have a second chance.…"

"I understand, Cae, really I do…But I don't like it. I can't help being selfish. You know I love you"

"I know..."

"Just like you love me."

"I do love you, you're my best friend. I don't feel the same way you do. We've discussed this."

_"Fine, fine. Be in denial." She heard him sigh. "You know, Cae, not every man in your life will desert you."_

Caelan scowled, "I don't feel that way. Why would I feel that way?" She muttered quickly.

_"Oh, the signs are so obvious."_

Caelan scoffed, "You think you know me so well."

_"It's because I do."_

She rolled her eyes, "I'm gonna go now."

_"Fine. I'll see you Friday."_

Caelan returned the phone to its base. Was David right? Was that the reason she had been dodging commitment? He had been her friend since she first moved to New York, and he always wanted it to be more, but she had fought it. Caelan shook her head. "I don't love him that because I don't. He's a good friend. That's all." She told herself, but did she believe it?

_It was a beautiful day in the city. Fall had barely started, the leaves on the trees just beginning to crisp and change color. The sun was bright, and everywhere people were taking their lunch break. Caelan and David were no different. They strolled arm in arm along the path inside Central Park, casually chatting about how their days had gone so far, taking in what they could of the beautiful day before returning to their offices._

_"So tell me about your trip. How was Boston?" David asked her before taking a sip of his coffee._

_"It was great. Boston is a beautiful city." Caelan replied, absently staring down at her feet as they walked._

_"How are your brothers?"_

_"They're good. Scraping by as usual, but they're happy."_

_"What are they doing now?"_

_"Oh, they're working in a meat-packing plant." Caelan shook her head. "They're not stupid. I mean the two of them could be doing so much more, but somehow they're happy making minimum wage knee-deep in cow parts."_

_"Oh, that's appetizing."_

_Caelan chuckled. "Sorry."_

_"Girlfriends?"_

_"Nope. None yet."_

_"You're still pretty close to your brothers, huh?"_

_"Yeah. I told ya our Dad left us when I was a baby, Connor and Murphy were two. It was always the three of us and our Ma. We didn't really come from a big family." Caelan smirked. "It's probably border-line weird how close I am with my brothers."_

_David chuckled. "I wouldn't say that. It'd be weird if you ever, ya know…" He gave her an odd look._

_Caelan sneered at him. "Ew! That's disgusting!" She ended her statement by punching him in the arm._

_"Ow! See? You're fine then." Caelan cringed again at the thought. The two continued walking around the park; eventually turning to make their way back towards their office building. David furled his eyebrows in thought. "Cae, Doesn't your Mom get pissed that you don't visit her more often? I know mine would."_

_Caelan shook her head. "No, she doesn't mind. She sent me here actually, New York was her idea. All MacManus children get the boot when they're 18."_

_"Yikes. Pretty harsh, isn't it?"_

_"I thought so…For a long time. My mother wanted my brothers and I to go places, see things. Make our own destinies. Ireland is wonderful, but New York…New York has more opportunities than anywhere in the world."_

_David looked at her through the corner of his eye. "Do you think you'll ever move back to Ireland?"_

_Caelan shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe someday." She met his gaze and noticed he was giving her an odd look. "Why do you ask?"_

_"Caelan, I love you. You know that. I just…I just don't want to ever lose you." He couldn't stop from blurting out the statement._

_Caelan sighed and rolled her eyes. "David, don't talk like that. You and I are friends. That's all. How many times do I have to tell you that I'm not interested in you that way?"_

_"All I'm asking for is a chance. A chance to show you I'm not like every other asshole you've dated."_

_"You're my best friend. That has to be enough for you." She looked down at her wristwatch. "Look, we have to get back or we're going to be late."_

_Caelan sharply turned away from him and quickened her pace. David watched her in silence before reluctantly following behind her. Caelan stood on the porch at her mother's house, quietly leaning against one of the wooden pillars between the roof and the steps beneath her. Her headphones were on, and she had closed her eyes, totally absorbed in her music. She thought about David. She couldn't get his words out of her head._

Why was she so afraid to give him a chance? Because if it ended badly, I'd lose my friend. She thought quickly, answering her own question. Caelan was so immersed in her thoughts that she didn't even notice that Murphy had joined her. He stood across from her, mirroring her stance by leaning against his own pillar. It was only when she smelled the smoke from his cigarette that she realized she wasn't alone. She opened her eyes and smiled at the sight of her brother, removing her headphones and hanging them around her neck.

"You love that thing, don't ya?" Murphy said, referring to her ipod. He held a lit cigarette out to her.

"If I didn't have my music, I would die." She replied, taking a long drag.

"What're ya doin' out here?"

She shook her head. "Nothin' really. Just thinkin'."

"What about?"

"Dav-I mean, Da." She looked away from him, off into the horizon.

"Liar." Murphy said with a slight smile.

Caelan looked back at him in disbelief. "Liar?"

The two locked eyes for a moment and Murphy arched an eyebrow upward, almost daring her to lie to him again. It really irritated her that her brothers knew her so well sometimes. Caelan finally relented, dropping from the staring contest by releasing a deep sigh.

Murphy snorted proudly before grabbing his sister, pulling her down by the neck into a headlock, roughly rubbing her head with his knuckles. Caelan tried to jerk away, but his hold was too strong. She gripped his arm with her fist; trying to pry it from her neck, all the while trying to punch him with her other. Murphy was laughing wickedly the whole time. "Come on, Cae. Spill it!"

"Alright!" She hissed. Caelan punched him as hard as she could, and he finally released her. She stood up quickly. "If you must fuckin' know, I was thinking about a friend of mine back in New York." She spat at him, trying to smooth the hair that Murphy had messed.

"What's her name?" He said between laughs, holding his chest where his sister had punched him.

"His name is David." She bent down to retrieve her fallen headphones.

Murphy pulled his cigarettes from his pocket, lit two and passed one to his sister. "Oh, now I get it. Boyfriend troubles."

Caelan glared at him. "He is not my boyfriend." She snapped, snatching the cigarette from his hand and inhaling deeply.

Murphy regarded her. "Ya love him?"

She turned away from her brother to peer at the horizon again. "Yes…But only as a friend. He wants more, and I'm dealing with that." She chuckled. "Actually, he thinks I have issues with men. Wants to be the exception…My knight in shining armor."

Murphy was confused. "What kind of issues?"

Caelan sighed in frustration. "Do you really want to talk about this with your little sister?"

"Do I need to give you another noogie?"

"Fine. He thinks the guys I've dated in the past have been assholes. On that point, he's pretty much correct. But he also thinks I have abandonment issues."

Murphy shrugged. "I can sort of see why he'd think that." He felt a bit guilty agreeing. "Well, deirfiúr, all I can tell you is this…If it's right, it's right. That and we're all fucked up."

"Listen to you giving me relationship advice."

"We've all got relationship issues. Look and Mary and me."

Caelan choked on her last drag at the admission. "I knew it. All these years…!" She nudged her brother in the chest with her elbow, unintentionally hitting the spot she had punched earlier.

"Watch it, Cae! I'm still sore there. You hit really hard." Murphy said, carefully rubbing the spot.

"Quit being such a baby." Caelan took a step closer to him and moved like she was going to give him a hug; instead she punched him in the chest again, but in a different spot than before. Murphy groaned and dropped to his knees. "That's what you get for giving me a noogie!"

Caelan stuck her tongue out at him and ran back inside the house. Murphy waited to catch his breath before jumping to his feet and bolting after her. The two tore through the house, laughing and swearing at each other like they were children again.


	8. Chapter 8: Sympathy for the Devil

Chapter 8 – Sympathy For The Devil

Caelan woke up early that morning. She had stayed the night in her old room at her parent's house. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and rubbed the sleep out of her eyes. "Coffee." She said to herself.

Slowly moving from the bed, she knelt down beside it and dug in her bag. She pulled out her toothbrush and her ipod, possibly the greatest gift she had ever received. "Thank you David." Caelan looked down at the device, quickly scanning through the library of songs she had collected. She settled on a song, threw on her earphones and left the room.

Once she had brushed her teeth, she headed down to the kitchen. No one else was awake yet, so she decided she'd make some coffee for everyone. She went through the motions, placing the filter and turning on the pot, all the while nodding her head along with the music, slowly getting more and more into it. Soon she was dancing around the kitchen as she waited for the coffee finish brewing.

Will had heard someone downstairs, then he smelled coffee brewing, so he decided that he would get up. He made his way downstairs and was about to enter the kitchen when he saw Caelan, nodding her head and dancing around the kitchen in her pajamas.

He watched her from the door frame, smiling at her. He imagined her as a child, probably doing the same thing and catching heat from her brothers. In a way it made him sad. He had missed everything. Caelan had turned towards him and stopped dancing when she realized she wasn't alone. She took her headphones off and hung them around her neck.

"Oh. Didn't know you were there." She smiled at him. "Coffee's almost ready."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to spy on ye." He said as he entered the kitchen. He took a seat at the table and lit a cigar. "What're ye doin' up so early?"

Caelan set her ipod on the table. "I don't really sleep late. I've been gettin' up early to work since I was 15. I don't think I have the physical ability anymore…Unless of course I've had a drink or two the night before." They both chuckled.

Will picked the ipod up from the table and studied it. "What is this?"

Caelan smirked at him. "It holds music. A friend of mine gave it to me for my birthday last year."

He looked up at her. "Rock and roll?"

Caelan tilted her head to the side. "Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Murphy told me."

Caelan was intrigued. "He talked to you about me?"

"I asked him about you. He even gave me a picture of the three of ya together."

"Which one?"

"It was of you and your brothers at that bar…McGinty's I think he said the name was."

Caelan nodded. "Yeah. I know the one. Rocco took it."

"Caelan, I just want you to know…I thought about you and your brothers every day when I was away."

"I thought about you too, Da." She smiled at him before turning back to the counter. She reached up and pulled two mugs from the cabinet. "How do you take it?"

"Black."

Caelan cringed. "Yikes. I have to load mine with cream and sugar." She prepared both cups and turned back to the table, placing one mug in front of her father before sitting down across from him. Her mother had left her cigarettes on the table the night before, so Caelan took one from the pack and lit it. "Can I ask you somethin'?"

"Anythin'."

"This…Job that you do. Is it really something that runs in our family? I mean, will Connor and Murphy's kids….Or even mine…Will they have to do it too someday?"

He took a puff of his cigar. "Nothing is certain, Lass."

Caelan nodded her head. "It's odd…Connor and Murphy told me all about it yesterday, and I feel like I should feel weird about it, but I don't. Like I'm alright with it."

"I'm not surprised. MacManuses have always been close to their faith. It's always helped us…guided us. You're no different, daughter."

"Did you ever regret your decision?"

"Many times. Every time I look at you I regret leaving." Caelan looked down at her mug. "There was a time, when your brothers first started; we got into a gunfight in the middle of the suburbs."

Caelan snapped her head up to look at him. "You shot at your own sons?"

"Aye. I didn't know them, and they didn't know me. Connor got me in the arm." He pointed at a spot on his left arm. "When I learned that they were me boys…I felt so guilty...What if I had killed one of them? I felt regret then...Boy did I ever."

"Wow."

"Aye. But that is the choice that I made. I left because the Lord wanted me to. It is the choice your brothers made, and it's likely the reason you're alright with it." Caelan absently touched the cross around her neck. "Where did ye get that?"

"Connor and Murphy gave it to me when I made my first communion. The priest had blessed it for me…I never take it off. Ma gave me a rosary made of wooden beads as well."

"The same as yer brothers." Caelan nodded at him.

Will picked his coffee up from the table and motioned toward his daughter with his mug. "Thanks for this."

"Sure. I'm surprised it tastes half-way decent. I can speak multiple languages yet somehow I lack the ability to make something as simple as coffee correctly."

Will chuckled. "What else?"

"What else do you want to know?"

"Well, we have a lot of catchin' up to do."

Caelan smirked. She shrugged her shoulders nervously and looked away from him. "Well, I don't know what to say about myself." She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "You know, it's strange… Somehow it was so easy to forgive you, but my brothers…You'd think it'd be the other way around."

"It's easy to forgive a stranger, but someone who knows you like your brothers know you….That's not so easy. They know how to hurt you, and they should have known better."

The two sat in silence for awhile, quietly smoking and sipping their coffee. The silence was interrupted when Murphy entered the room. His eyes were half shut and his hair was sticking up all over. Caelan laughed at the sight of him.

"What's so fuckin' funny?"

"Have you looked in the mirror yet?"

Murphy tried to smooth his hair. "Sorry. Tonight I'll throw on a fuckin' suit and tie and slick my hair back before I go to sleep."

"Your sister made coffee."

"Thank fuckin' God." Murphy grabbed a mug from the cabinet and poured himself some coffee. He set the cup down on the table before sitting beside his sister, leaning his head against her shoulder.

"Aw, poor Murph. Still not a mornin' person, eh?" She reached up and rubbed his head.

"Are we goin' out tonight, Cae?"

"You just got out of bed and you're already talkin' about goin' out tonight?" She smiled.

Murphy picked his head up so he could sip his coffee. "Why not?"

Will smiled at the exchange. It gave him comfort to see how close his children were with each other.

The three were interrupted by a shrill voice from atop the stairs. "Caelan Joan MacManus, get your boney ass up here!" It was Annabelle.

Caelan nearly choked on the sip of coffee she had just taken. She looked at her brother in disbelief. "Wow. That brought me right back to childhood."

She stood from her chair and headed out of the kitchen, making sure to take her mug of coffee with her. She passed Connor in the living room. "You awake?"

"Jesus, I am now." He said as he roughly rubbed his eyes. Caelan smirked at him and headed up the stairs.

Connor wordlessly entered the kitchen. Murphy tossed him a 'Good Morning' when he saw him. Connor nodded his response and dragged himself to the coffee he had spotted on the counter. He made a cup and slowly sat down in the chair Caelan had vacated.

Will took advantage of the fact that the three were alone for the moment. He looked over at Murphy. "Did ye give any thought to what we discussed before?"

Murphy pulled a cigarette from his pack and lit one before passing the pack to Connor. "I guess…I don't think we should. I still feel like we'd be betraying Rocco if we quit."

"Maggie." Connor whispered to himself. "Christ Murph, I just can't do it anymore." He cautiously looked at his father. "Look at Da. Look at everything he went through. It took him 25 years to get back home to his wife. He never even met his daughter. But now it's like he got a second chance at life. You an' me…We'll never even get a first chance if we keep doin' what we've been doin."

He wasn't sure why, but for some reason Murphy's thoughts switched to Mary. Images of a life that didn't belong to him flashed in his mind. He saw them sitting on her couch, Mary resting her head on his shoulder. He saw them eating breakfast in the kitchen. He saw her wearing a white dress, a bouquet of white roses in her hands. It was a life that could be. A life he never even knew he wanted.

"Murph?" Connor was giving him an odd look. "Murph? Are ya alright?"

Murphy slowly lifted his head. His watch switched from his brother to his father. "Ok. Let's do it. Let's end it."

Will allowed a small smile. "Alright. Then we're in agreement."

"Aye." Connor started. He took a sip of his coffee and his expression quickly turned to one of disgust. He held the mug out in front of him. "Fuck. Who made this?"

Will chuckled. "Your sister did. I didn't have the heart to tell her it tasted awful."

†

"Woman, what do you want?" Caelan asked from the door frame of her mother's room. "What was so important that you had to wake the whole damn neighborhood just to get me up here?" She set her mug down on her mother's dresser and stepped inside the room.

Annabelle was digging through a box of photos on her bed so Caelan moved to the opposite of the bed and slowly crawled on top of it. She laid on her side and propped her head up with her arm.

"Yer Da an' I were lookin' at some old photos last night. We found one that I want ye ta see, but of course now I can't find the fuckin' thing."

Caelan chuckled. "You made all that noise over a fuckin' picture?"

"Ah ha! Here it is." Annabelle gazed at the photo for a moment before handing it to her daughter.

Caelan sat straight up when she saw the photo. It was taken the day she was baptized. Caelan wore a white gown made entirely of lace, with a matching cap. One light auburn curl poked out from underneath it. Her father was holding her. The most striking aspect of the photo was the way father and daughter looked at each other, their eyes were locked. It was obvious that Will absolutely adored his daughter, and it was almost as if Caelan knew it, even as an infant.

Caelan held the picture to her chest with both hands, right over her heart. "Thanks Ma."

"Yer welcome, Daughter. Now show me that tattoo you were talkin' about last night."


	9. Chapter 9: I'm Moving On

Chapter 9 – I'm Moving On

The sun was setting for the day, and Caelan sat on the porch swing next to her Ma, swinging gently. The two watched as Connor and Murphy attempted to teach Maggie how to play rugby. Mary was trying to play too, but she kept blushing every time Murphy touched her. Caelan laughed at the sight. Her Ma looked over at her.

"There's hope for them yet."

"Ma, if there's one thing I've learned on this trip; it's that anything is possible."

Caelan's attention switched to the front door where her father was now standing, lit cigar in hand. He chuckled and smiled down on the impromptu match taking place on the front lawn before joining his wife and daughter.

Caelan regarded him for a moment before allowing a small smile. "How does it feel to be back after all this time, Da?"

Will took a long pull off his cigar and exhaled slowly, the smoke rising over their heads in thin lines, "Too good to be true, daughter."

Caelan was smiling as her gaze changed from her father to the house across the street, Mary's house. She quietly considered the idea of moving back to Ireland. Maybe Mary would let her move in with her. Hell, she had the room and the two of them were like two peas in a pod when they were together. She furled her brows in thought and pulled a pack of cigarettes from her pocket, lighting one as soon as the pack was free. Her mother noticed and elbowed her in the side, "Ow! What'd ye do that for?"

Annabelle stuck her hand out, "Gimme one."

Caelan sneered at her before surrendering her pack, "You know, you could just ask me like a normal human being. You get violent over the dumbest things."

"It's nice to know some things never change," Will added from the door.

Caelan looked back down at the rugby match. Connor had tackled Murphy to the ground with a particularly hard hit and the two were rolling around trying to grab the ball out of each other's hands. She smiled to herself. "What would you say if I said I was seriously thinking about moving back here."

Annabelle scoffed, "I'd say you'd better have a fuckin' job if you plan on movin' back in with me. No fucking hand outs."

Caelan rolled her eyes, "I'm being serious, Ma. Besides that, I think I'd probably move in with Mary if she'd have me."

Annabelle was taken aback, "I'd say that I like that idea very much."

"So would I," Will added.

Caelan nodded, "I've been thinking about it a lot since I've been here."

"When do you think you'd be able to move back?" Will asked.

She shrugged, "Well, it would probably be a matter of months…Maybe a year."

Annabelle and Will shared a swift glance. Nothing would have made either parent happier than to have all three of their children close to them, especially Will.

Caelan leaned forward in her seat to rest her chin on her arm, "I'll look into it when I get back to New York."

"Look into what?" Mary asked, strolling toward the porch. She and Maggie had completely given up on rugby. Connor and Murphy were still fighting for possession of the ball.

"Oh, just the idea of moving back for good."

Mary made a noise that sounded like a cross between a squeak and a scream. Her face had lit up and she was grinning from ear to ear. "Really!?" She squeaked again.

Caelan looked at her in disgust, "What the fucking hell was that noise?"

Mary's cheeks pinked at the question, "I'm sorry…It's just the thought of you moving back here…You could move in with me if you wanted, I've got plenty of room and you'd be right across the street from your Ma and Da and Connor and Murphy and Maggie are here now and it would be just like old times and you could help me in the store like we planned when we were younger…"

Caelan held up her hand, "Whoa, there. I said I was just _thinking_ about it." She couldn't help but smile at her friend's enthusiasm, "I'm glad to know you'd have me as a room mate though."

"Of course I would."


	10. Chapter 10: Let Me Go

Chater 10 – Let Me Go

_Author's note: Thanks to GoddessLaughs for all her language help._

Caelan's eyes were starting to glaze over. She had been swamped at work since she had returned to New York City two weeks ago and today was no different. Readying to tackle the next item on her seemingly endless To-Do list, she swore half-heartedly to never take a vacation again. The telephone rang, and she gratefully turned her attention away from the computer screen. "Yes?" She asked hopefully.

"Ms. MacManus?" It was her assistant, Jenna. In the background Caelan could hear other voices speaking loudly, but it was hard to make out exactly what they were saying

"Jenna, I told you. Call me Caelan."

"Ok, Caelan, could I interrupt you for a moment?"

"What's the problem?" The voices in the background rose, and Caelan could hear Jenna trying to quiet them, unsuccessfully. Was that a snippet of Italian she had just heard?

"Um, I'm not sure. I don't know the language. All I understood was your name."

Caelan was concerned. She rarely met clients face to face. "I'll be right out." She stood quickly from her desk and smoothing her suit, Caelan stepped out of her office and suddenly found herself standing before two large, well dressed men. One had a shaved head, the other had a nasty scar that ran the entire length of the left side of his neck. They were both a bit scary looking. Caelan gave them an odd look before the bald one spoke.

"Siete Caelan MacManus?" He asked in Italian. (Are you Caelan MacManus?)

"Sì. Che cosa sembra essere il problema, signori?" She replied. (Yes. What seems to be the problem, gentlemen?)

"Conosciamo chi siete." The scarred one spoke this time. (We know who you are)

The odd statement made Caelan frown, of course they knew who she was, they had asked for her by name, hadn't they? "Come lo conoscete?" (How do you know me?)

"I vostri fratelli. Conosciamo il loro segreto. Sono i san." (Your brothers. We know their secret. They're The Saints.)

Caelan felt the blood drain from her face, her thoughts racing. How could they know about Connor and Murphy? Only a select, privileged few knew they were the Saints, yet somehow these men had found out. "Ci deve essere un certo errore." She lied, struggling to keep her voice steady. (There must be some mistake.)

The two men exchanged a quick glance. Baldy spoke again, "No. La nostra sporgenza li ha trasmessi per trovarli. Sta morendo venirlo a contatto." (No. Our boss sent us to find you. He's dying to meet you.)

Panic flared, whoever these men were, she was certain that she didn't want to meet their boss. Mafia. The word was accompanied with a rush of adrenaline. She glanced over at Jenna who had been watching the exchange through the corner of her eye. "Non sto andando da nessuna parte," Caelan said, obstinately crossing her arms across her chest. (I'm not going anywhere.)

His expression bordering a sneer, the scarred man took a step toward her, "Se non andrete, li inciteremo ad andare." (If you will not go, we will make you go.)

"Farlo del potere di Sai noi," the other added. (Don't make us hurt you. Cooperate.)

Their tone left no room for discussion. Fear flooded Caelan's veins as she realized that if she didn't go willingly, they would force her to go and God help anyone that got in their way. What had Connor and Murphy gotten into? What had they gotten her into? These men knew her brothers were the Saints and she was now about to be taken, by force, to their boss. Time was running out as she weighed her options...Which were few.

Caelan watched as the scarred one started towards her again, but she swiftly held her hand out, stopping him. If she was going to surrender, she'd do it her way. "Andrò con voi. Non faccia prego una scena qui." (I will go with you. Please don't make a scene here.)

The men exchanged another quick glance at each other and then shot another around the lobby before nodding. Caelan turned to Jenna and tried her best to sound normal, "These men are on the wrong floor. I'm going to bring them downstairs."

Jenna gave her a concerned look, "All that over a wrong floor? Is everything alright?"

Caelan bit her lip and nodded, "I'll be right back."

Inside the elevator, Caelan was already regretting her decision, not that she ever really had a choice. Clearly she was going whether she wanted to or not. She glared at one of the men over her shoulder. "So who's your boss?" She asked, trying to keep her fear in check.

The scarred man chuckled. "You'll see soon enough."

Caelan turned to face them, surprised, "Oh, so you can speak English. What do you two think this is, Die Hard?"

The scarred one jerked his arm back and cracked his fist across Caelan's face, "You'll do well to watch your smart mouth you filthy Irish fica."

Dazed from the blow, Caelan brought her hand to her face, feeling blood welling where the man's ring had torn her skin. The elevator touched down on the ground floor and the scarred man grabbed her roughly by the arm, pulling her into the parking lot. After a furtive glance around the space, Baldy followed them. They led her across the pavement toward where a black car was waiting. Jerking the door open, Scar shoved her inside. Caelan landed painfully in the backseat, a curse on her lips. Before she could manage however, there was a sharp, stabbing pain in her arm.

"Sleep Tight." Baldy said, and Caelan's world went black.

_Where am I?_

Slowly the darkness became light and the light became pain. Blinking hard, Caelan surveyed her new surroundings. The unfinished stone walls and heavy door in front of her probably meant a basement. There was a foul tasting gag in her mouth and blood from her cheek had dried thick and itching down her face.

Trying to move her numbed hands, she discovered that her wrists and ankles were handcuffed to the rungs of the chair. Below her feet there were puddles of dried blood, black and flaking with age.

_Oh, God..._

The heavy door opened, and three men entered. She recognized two of the men as the ones that had taken her initially, the third was unfamiliar.

The new man was younger than the others, Caelan guessed that he couldn't be any more than twenty, but he carried himself with the poise and dignity of someone much older. He was nicely dressed in an expensive black suit and tie, his hair neatly slicked back.

Slowly, the new man approached her, reaching out to cup her chin in his hand.

"Who is responsible for this?" he asked, pulling a handkerchief from his pocket and wetting it with his tongue. Squeezing painfully when Caelen tried to pull away, the man carefully wiped at the blood crusting her cheek

The two men behind him exchanged a nervous glance. The one with the scar to the right stepped forward. "I am, Sir."

"Really?" Suddenly the hand was gone from Caelan's chin and the tattooed man was reeling from an unseen blow.

Straightening, the goon gingerly touched the already blackening bruise beneath his eye. "It won't happen again."

"I know that it won't." The suit turned back to face her. "Chiedo scusa, signora. Allow me to introduce myself, I am Marco Yakavetta." (I apologize, my lady.)

Yakavetta. It sounded familiar, but Caelan couldn't place how.

"I see you know my name. I bet you're wondering how I found you. I know I would be." Marco said, slowly circling Caelan's chair. He stopped in front of her and removed the gag. "There. Is that better? You see, Caelan, I'm generally not in the business of hurting women. At least, not intentionally. But you. You're special."

Caelan spit on the floor in a very unladylike fashion to clear the taste of the gag from her mouth, and out of pure disrespect, "I'm nobody."

"You're so wrong. You are sister to the Saints of South Boston. That makes you very, very special." Caelan looked down at the floor and Marco chuckled, "Ah. So now you understand. You see, your brothers and father were the ones that killed _my_ father. They murdered him at his own trial. I can think of nothing more horrible...Can you?"

She suddenly remembered the Yakavetta name. Giseuppi Yakavetta was the mob boss her brothers had told her about. "Only the crimes your father committed when he was alive." She blurted out, bracing herself for the repercussions of her statement.

"You MacManuses certainly are a righteous brood." He resumed circling her. "I have gone to great lengths to find you. I started with that traitor Rocco's apartment. For the shit-hole it was he turned out to be more clever than we thought and left nothing behind. So I started to ask around. I came to find out Rocco frequented a bar called McGinty's."

Caelan stiffened, her thoughts going immediately to Doc. If this bastard had hurt him...

Marco chuckled, "Don't worry. I left that tourette-ridden old man alone. I didn't have to ask him a thing. You'd be surprised how many people will spill their guts at the mere sight of a gun." He stopped in front of her again. "Once I had the name of your brothers, it was only a matter of time before I learned everything else. They left for Ireland, which was a pity, but to learn they had a sister living in New York City…it appears fortune is finally smiling on me."

"Fuck," She muttered softly, defeat in her voice.

"Please understand I do feel for you. To be put in the middle of this…"

"Spare me your pity." Caelan said defiantly, anger momentarily replacing her fear. How dare this asshole come into her life and threaten her and the people she cared about?

Smirking, Marco took her chin in his hand again. "So proud. So beautiful. If it weren't for your wretched family, I think I might be smitten with you." He traced her jaw with his finger, slowly moving it down her neck and toward her chest, where it hovered for a moment over the cross she wore. "Time to send a message." In one swift movement he gripped the cross in his fist and yanked the chain from her neck, holding it up. "Yes. This will do nicely." Tucking the necklace in his pocket he looked down at her. "You, my dear, shall stay here, and I do apologize for the accommodations."

He turned and quickly walked away from her, the two other men following behind her like well-trained dogs. Caelan closed her eyes tightly as the door closed behind them. She was trapped, there was no way out. There was only one thing left to do.

"Our Father," she whispered, bowing her head, "Who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name…"

†

"Murph, when're ya gonna quit loafin' around here and get a real job?" Connor asked, playfully messing his brother's hair.

"Fuck you, Connor. I got a real job. Didn't Ma tell ya?"

"Personal escort to Mary O'Neill doesn't count."

"Hardy fuckin' har." Murphy said, swatting at his brother, "I'm workin' at the Anvil. Bartendin', bouncin'. Whatever needs ta be done, I do it. That Uncle of ours pays pretty well too for a penny-pinchin' old bastard."

Connor nodded. "Good ta hear. He's needed help with that place since before I can remember. So when did Ma say they'd be back?"

"She didn't. Mary took her shopping."

"Oh Christ."

"Conn, Murph, do you want something to drink while I'm out here?" Maggie called from the kitchen.

"Beer," the twins replied in unison.

"You talk to Cae lately?" Connor asked settling next to Murphy on the couch.

"Yeah, two days ago."

"When the fuck is she movin' back?"

"She said hopefully by the end of the year. She has to find a replacement for herself. And she's still gotta deal with the whole David situation. I fuckin swear, if..." Murphy was interrupted by a knock at the door. Standing, he made his way toward the front door. Surprised to see a delivery man standing on the other side.

"MacManus?" the man asked.

Murphy gave him an odd look. "Aye?"

"Here ya' go then." He held out a heavy cardboard envelope and a clipboard. "Sign here."

Taking the package, Murphy scribbled his name on the form.

"Thanks." he murmured absently, closing the door, staring at the envelope.

Connor raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "What is it?"

"I don't know. It's from the States though."

"Maybe Cae sent ya somethin'."

"It just says 'MacManus,' no first name and no return address either. Must've been important though, she sent it overnight." He rejoined his brother on the couch.

"Well, open it."

Murphy shrugged and tore the envelope open. At first glance it didn't appear that anything was inside. He squinted deeper into the envelope just as Maggie entered the room. "Here ya' go boys." placing two bottles of beer in front of them.

Murphy turned the envelope upside down and gave it a shake watching as something shining fell to the floor. He picked the object up with a frown, holding it up in front of his face. It was Caelan's cross.

"The fuck?"

"What?" Maggie asked confused.

Connor snatched the necklace from his brother. "This is Caelan's cross. She never takes it off…Ever." He examined the chain closely. "The clasp is broken."

Murphy jumped from the couch. "What time is it there?" Murphy said, glancing at the clock as he got up to search for the phone.

Maggie looked down at her watch. "I think it's about 1:30 or so in New York. What's going on?"

Connor shook his head. "Don't know. Never hurts to check, though. Call her at work, Murph."

Murphy nodded and quickly dialed. It seemed like it took an eternity for the call to connect and when a female voice answered, It wasn't Caelan.

"Caelan MacManus please."

I'm sorry, Ms. MacManus isn't in today. Would you like to leave a message?

"No, thanks." He slammed the phone down. "She's not in."

"Cell phone?" Connor offered.

Again, Murphy dialed. The call rang through, but again Caelan didn't answer. "Where the fuck is she?"

Maggie noticed the twins concern. "What about David? Do you have his number?"

Murphy was about to try him at work when the phone rang. He grabbed it mid-ring. "Cae?"

_"To whom am I speaking?"_ The voice asked. His accent was thickly Italian.

"Who the fuck is this?" Murphy barked.

_"Let me ask you a question, Saint. Were you proud that day when you murdered my father? Did it give you and your Mick brother a thrill?"_

Murphy felt the blood drain from his face and was aware of Connor coming to stand next to him, adjusting the phone so they could both hear and placing a hand on the back of his neck.

"Who is this? Where is my sister?"

_"Ah, good, then you received my package. Your beautiful sister is my guest of honor. I can already tell she must mean a great deal to you. Family. It's so important. Wouldn't you agree? My Poppa used to tell me family was the most important thing in the world to him…Or at least he did before you slaughtered him."_

"I didn't touch your fuckin' father."

_"Oh but you did, you blew his head off at his own trial. You murdered him in front of dozens of people."_

"Yakavetta." Murphy spat, "What do you want?"

_"That thrill. That thrill of victory, of defeat over my enemy. I want to feel it. And I will, Saint, when I butcher your beloved sister the way you butchered my father."_

"I'll fuckin' kill you." Murphy shouted into the phone, Connor echoing something similar.

_"Not before I slit her throat."_

"You bastard."

Connor fumbled for a pen, writing quickly on the newspaper that Murphy had been reading and holding it up for him to see.

Smecker. He read, noticing that his brother's normally smooth handwriting was unsteady.

_"Don't even consider calling the police, or the next package you receive might not be so . . . pleasant."_

"Fuck!" Connor hissed, tossing the newspaper away.

_"You will come or she will die."_

"Where?" Murphy shouted, and was met with only silence, "You fuckin' piece of shite, where?"

There was the telltale click of a receiver and the line went dead. Murphy slammed the phone down so hard it fell off the wall. "If that bastard so much as touches Cae, I'll kill him."

"Yakavetta" Connor scrubbed a hand over his face, "Did ya' know he had a son?"

"Who is Yakavetta? Why would he want to hurt Caelan? What the fuck is going on?" Maggie said, her eyes wide and confused.

Connor looked at Maggie cautiously. "Mags, there's something I need to tell you. Something I should have told you before we left Boston, but I can't right now."

"But I don't understand!"

Connor grabbed her and pulled her close to him. "I'll tell you everything, I promise, but right now, I have to go."

"What's all the yellin' about, eh?" Will chose this moment to come downstairs. "What's goin' on down here?"

"Something's happened to Caelan, Da."

Will's face quickly showed his concern. "What's happened?"

Connor held Caelan's broken necklace up. "Murph just got a call…Some bastard goin' on about Yakavetta bein' his father and getting' revenge."

"Marco." Will said as he reached the bottom floor. "Yakavetta had a son named Marco, though he couldn't be more than nineteen if me memory serves."

"I didn't even know he had a son." Murphy said.

"Aye. Yakavetta never let im' come around…always had him away at school. I never met im', but I remember hearing about him once or twice. What does all of this have to do with Caelan?"

"Marco, or whoever, is holding her captive. He wants to see us face to face…He said he'd kill her if we didn't show up."

Will thought quickly. "Call Smecker."

"He said no cops."

"Well, then make sure you tell him that. And tell Smecker we'll be on the first flight out."

†

Caelan was starving.

She had been chained to her chair all day and all night, and her adrenaline had worn off a long time ago. Carefully taking in her surroundings for the hundredth time since she had been taken prisoner, she tried again in vain to figure a way out. She considered screaming for help, but since Marco found it unnecessary to replace her gag, she figured it was most likely a pointless action.

There were two small windows behind her that would be easy to break…if she weren't cuffed to this damn chair. She sighed defeated and tried to focus on something, anything that would keep her mind off the increasing pain she felt in her stomach.

"What would they do if they were me?" She felt herself anger a bit at the thought of her brothers. "I wouldn't _be_ in this position if it weren't for _them_."

Suddenly, the basement door opened, and Marco appeared. He carried a plate of food in his hands. Another very large, dumb-looking lackey followed behind him. "You must be famished." He said plainly, placing the plate of food on the floor at her feet. "If you promise not to do anything stupid, I'll have Luca unlock the cuffs on your arms so you can eat."

Caelan sneered at him. "What's the point of all this? Aren't you just going to kill me?"

Marco smirked at her, "I actually haven't decided yet. More than likely."

"Then why even bother?"

"Can't have you weak and weary when your family arrives. Gotta keep you at full strength so I can have your full attention when I slit your brothers' throats."

The statement enraged her, "Fuck you and your fucking charity voi parte del vigliacco della merda." (You piece of shit coward) She inhaled deeply through her nose and spit in his face.

The action met Marco with little amusement. He pulled a handkerchief from his lapel pocket and wiped her saliva off his face. "Very well. You can starve you piccolo cagna." (Little bitch) He turned away from her sharply and exited the room. His lackey picked up the tray and followed after him, closing the door behind him.

Caelan couldn't help but smile at her defiance before turning her thoughts back to her hopeless escape.


	11. Chapter 11: Act Together

Chapter 11 – Act Together

"Yer outta yer mind if you think I'm stayin' here," Will said not looking up as he frantically stuffed his duffel with clothes, "She's my daughter for fuck's sake."

Connor glanced nervously at his brother, "We know, Da, but it can't be you."

Murphy leaned against the door frame of his parent's bedroom, "Connor and I can take care of this, you need to stay here with Ma."

"What about Maggie...And Mary now?" Connor motioned to Murphy who nodded in agreement with him.

Will stared down at the duffel, it's contents half packed, half covering the bed it laid upon. He gripped a shirt so tightly that his fist began to tremble, "What kind of a father would I be if I stay behind? What kind of a man leaves his daughter to die?"

Connor gripped his father's shoulder, "She isn't gonna die, Da."

"You have to trust us," Murphy added, stepping deeper into the room.

Will finally looked up at his sons, releasing a deep, defeated sigh, "What time is your flight? I'll drive ye."

†

Smecker was waiting for them at the airport when they landed. Connor and Murphy met him at the baggage claim.

"Paul," Connor said, Murphy offered a slight nod.

"Good to see you boys again. Greenley is out in the car, I'll brief you on the way."

"Right." Murphy was glad. He wasn't in the mood for small talk. All that mattered was getting to their sister. He and Connor followed him out to the car.

"Hey! Welcome back!" Greenley said once they were safely inside the rented sedan.

"Shut up, Greenley," Smecker snapped, "Start friggin' driving." He turned in his seat to face Connor and Murphy. "Ok. Marco's been holed up in his father's place for three days now. The remains of his father's regime is with him."

"How many?"

"Hard to say." Smecker shrugged, "Poppa Joe only had a handful left after the trial. Ten, maybe fifteen at the most."

Murphy gave his brother a mischievous look, "Why don't you break out the wig and heels and check it out?"

Smecker sneered at him, "I believe I was quite clear when I said I never wanted to discuss that incident again," he said through gritted teeth.

"What are you talking about?" Greenley asked, confused as usual.

†

The twins dug through the trunk of Smecker's car, quickly gearing up to invade the house. They both already wore their signature black ski masks. Greenley and Smecker peered at the house over the roof of the car, Smecker with binoculars. They were quite a distance from the house.

"Ok, you guys ready?" He asked handing the binoculars to Greenley.

"Yeah. How're we gonna get in? The basement didn't work so well last time." Connor asked.

"No shit. You two head along those bushes to the back door. Greenley and I are gonna go in through the front." Smecker replied pointing to a long line of untrimmed hedges.

"The fucker said no cops though." Murphy added.

"We're not cops." He clipped a name tag to the lapel of his jacket that read "Martin." Greenley did the same only his read "Nigel." "We're Jehovah's witnesses. We'll create enough of a diversion to let you sneak in and take the drones out. We'll meet you in the middle."

"What if Marco decides to kill her before we get to her?" Connor didn't like the plan. It seemed too basic for Smecker...Too many holes.

"Caelan is his insurance policy, he won't kill her. If we move fast and keep a level head, his whole crew will be dead before he can blink."

It would have to do. Caelan was in danger no matter what they did. They would just have to rely on the fact that Marco was young, inexperienced and hell bent on revenge. He was bound to make a mistake and they would have the upper hand when he did.

Connor and Murphy started out first, quickly creeping along the bushes and shrubs in the safety of the shadows they cast. Once they were about halfway, "Martin" and "Nigel" pulled the car into the driveway. They exited and calmly strode up to the front door. Smecker was inwardly thankful he was dressed as a man this time around.

Greenley rang the door bell and before long, a large, dumb looking goon answered the door. He was holding a half-eaten turkey sandwich.

"Yeah?" He said between chews.

"Martin" started his speech, "Good evening, brother. Do you ever feel like there's something missing in your life?"

"Ever feel lost and hopeless?" "Nigel" added.

The sandwich man stared at them in disbelief, "Are you fuckin' kiddin' me?"

"No sir! We're from the Boston congregation of Jehovah's Witnesses on Parkman Street and we would love for you to join us. "Nigel" added, offering a pamphlet.

Just then, Marco appeared at the door. "What the hell are you doing?" He asked the goon.

Meanwhile, Murphy and Connor had made it to the back of the house undetected where two of Marco's men stood outside smoking. Behind them they could see the kitchen inside the house where four more men were seated.

Connor leaned in closer to his brother. "We can take em' all if we surprise em'." Murphy nodded. "Let's split up. I'll go left, you take the right."

"Aye."

An eerie calm surrounded the Yakavetta estate as the twins took their positions, then all at once the sound of bullets and shattering glass echoed against the surrounding woods.

†

Marco had run out of options. He was so sure that his plan was flawless, but most of his crew had been killed. It was just him and Caelan now. Marco had barricaded himself in the basement and was frantically unlocking the cuffs from Caelan's wrists and ankles, a task made difficult considering he could only use one hand. His other was busy aiming a gun towards his captive's head.

"You may still be of some use to me," he said quickly.

Caelan was about to respond but was interrupted by a terribly loud pounding sound. Something or someone was trying to break down the door and whatever they were using to do it sounded extremely heavy. Another hit to the door. The hit was so hard dust began to fall from the rafters above them. Marco grabbed Caelan and pulled her close to him just as the door shattered after the third and final hit.

"Ye ready?" Connor asked his brother. For all they knew they could be rushing into a room packed with 10 guys or worse, Caelan could be dead already. They just didn't know, but none of that mattered now. Their little sister was in there and they were getting her out.

"Aye." Connor took a deep breath and darted into the room, Murphy right on his heels. The twins were finally face to face with Marco Yakavetta who held their sister in a tight hold, his right arm across her chest. He was holding a gun to her head with his other hand, it's cold steel pressed hard into her temple.

The twins had their guns drawn even before they entered. But one false move could hurt Caelan, so they waited. Connor looked his sister over for visible injuries. She looked ok except for her right eye... That bastard... "Are ya alright, Cae?"

Caelan gripped Marco's arm with both hands, but she didn't dare fight him. "Yes," she answered, her voice shaky. They could tell she was terrified. She should have never been brought into this...This was never her mission.

Marco suddenly felt very powerful. He could tell how much this girl meant to these men. Maybe killing _them_ wasn't the answer...Maybe he should just kill _her_. He smiled evilly. "Welcome gentlemen. It's nice to finally meet you both."

"Let her go Marco," Murphy said through gritted teeth.

Marco's eyes narrowed. "No. I think we'll start with the two of you dropping your guns." Connor and Murphy both shifted uncomfortably at the idea and Marco noticed, "Would you rather I fill her brain with bullets?" Caelan cringed beneath him and her brothers finally dropped their guns to the floor. Marco smirked. "That's better."

_He's going to kill me._ Caelan could feel adrenaline coursing through her veins. She couldn't die like this...She wouldn't die like this. Marco was speaking, saying words she couldn't comprehend, his voice becoming muffled behind the sound of her heart beating in her ears. Her grip on his arm tightened and her eyes met her brothers'. Connor gave her the slightest of nods, and she saw it. She knew this was it.

Marco continued, totally oblivious to what she was about to do. She kept her grip tight on his arm and suddenly pulled it down as hard as she could with both hands sending Marco flying right over Caelan's crouched form. Her desperate move gave Connor and Murphy just enough time to grab the guns they had dropped. Murphy grabbed Caelan by her shoulder and yanked her towards him and she buried her face in his chest as the twins unloaded their guns. Marco's body jerked back and forth unnaturally as bullet after bullet tore through his body. Smoke rose from the bloody holes as he finally collapsed, fatally wounded.

After all the shots were fired, and all the bullets were spent, Connor stepped cautiously towards Marco's lifeless form. He still held his gun, though his grip had gone limp. Connor kicked the gun from his hand, sending it across the room and checked for any signs of life.

He looked over at his brother and sister, Caelan's head still covered by Murphy's arm, "He's dead. It's all over."

Caelan started to pull away from her brother, but Murphy tightened his grip, "No, Cae. Don't look at it."

She raised her head to look into his eyes, "It's alright, Murph. I'll be alright." Murphy released her and she turned around slowly. She looked down at Marco's bullet-ridden body and gagged.

It was Connor's turn to gather her up in his arms, "It's alright, Cae. It's all over now."

Murphy started to dig in his pockets for something and frowned. "I don't have any pennies."

Caelan looked at him confused, "What do you need pennies for?"

Connor dug into his own pockets, "Atonement."

Caelan thought for a moment before checking her own pockets, "Here."

She handed Connor the change they needed and he in turn placed them on Marco's eyes, one for each. He looked back at her for a moment, "Thanks. Why don't you wait outside, we'll only be another minute and I don't want ya ta look at him."

Caelan shook her head, "No. I'm alright now." Connor nodded and knelt down, Murphy followed suit. They lowered their heads and began to pray. "And shepherds we shall be, for thee, my Lord, for thee. Power hath descended from thy hands…"

At that moment, Caelan finally understood what they were doing. She knelt between her brothers and joined them in their prayer, "That our feet may swiftly carry out thy command. We will flow a river forth to thee, and teeming with souls shall it ever be. In nomani patris, et fili, et spiritu sancti. Amen."

The three made the sign of the cross before standing. Murphy gave his sister a confused look. "Why did you pray? You didn't have to…If it were me, I wouldn't have even wanted to."

Caelan closed her eyes tightly, "I spent all this time in this cellar being angry. I was angry at you both again, and Da. But right now, at this very moment…I'm so thankful to be alive. I knew that you'd save me." She looked down at Marco's lifeless form again, "You killed his father. You destroyed his whole world." She looked up at both her brothers, "What would you have done if you were him?"

Connor and Murphy exchanged an understanding look before leading Caelan away.

†

Caelan sat between her brothers on the backseat of the car. Smecker was turned in his own seat to face them, and he was asking her all kinds of questions about Marco. Her mind was still reeling from the ordeal she'd just endured, so she didn't even understand most of what was said. She just stared at him, a slightly confused, slightly blank look covered her features.

"Could we maybe talk about this tomorrow?" Connor finally said.

Paul nodded. "Of course. We'll take you to the hotel tonight. We can finish tomorrow before you take the train down to New York."

Connor nodded. "Let me look at ya, Cae." He held her chin carefully in his hand and turned her head to face him. Her eye was a mess. Most of the skin around it was black, and right beneath it was a swollen cut that had scabbed over. It looked like she had wiped away some of the blood that had dripped from it some time ago. He shook his head, "Did Marco do this?"

She shook her head, "No. One of his men did. Marco actually wiped my face when we first met in his basement."

Her statement set Murphy off, "What do ya mean he _wiped yer face_? What the fuck else did he do?"

Caelan shook her head in disbelief, "What? He didn't do anything like...Like...Whatever it is _you're_ thinking."

"Are you sure?" Murphy asked.

"Well, he sent his men to kidnap me at my job, busted my eye, drugged me, cuffed me to a chair for two days with no food or water, held a gun to my head and almost killed me. I'm fairly certain I'd remember if he tried anything else." She took a deep breath, "No wait, there was one other thing. He stole my cross."

Connor smiled, "Ah, well there's one thing we can remedy." He reached in his pocket and pulled out the cross, returning it to it's rightful owner. "The clasp is still broken, though. There wasn't time to fix it."

Caelan's eyes lit up. "Why did I think I'd never see this again?" She smiled down at the broken necklace before sliding it into her pocket. "Thanks."


	12. Chapter 12: Little by Little

Chapter 12 - Little by Little

"You can't be serious!" Caelan started pacing around their hotel room, "All it would have taken was one shot and I'd be dead right now, and you mean to tell me that you intend to keep at this goddamn crusade of yours!? What's it gonna take to make you quit?"

"Calm down, Cae." Connor reached out to her.

"No. I'm leaving." She started frantically searching around for something. "God damn it! My purse is still in my office." She sighed deeply, sharply turning to face her brothers, her hand out to them. "Give me some money."

Murphy scoffed, "For what? You're not goin' anywhere."

"Don't even start with me, Murph. Don't pull that older brother shit."

"Cae you don't have an ID or anythin'...You said so yourself it's all back in New York. You're not gonna be able to board the train without help from Smecker." Connor tried to reason with her.

She glared at him. "Fine. Give me some money anyway, there's a bar in the lobby and I want to get drunk."

"We'll come with ye." Murphy offered.

"No thanks. I want to be alone for five minutes. Just give me the money."

The twins finally relented, each of them pulling a twenty from their pockets to place in her hand. Caelan gripped the money tightly as she bolted to the door, grabbing a key off the dresser on her way out.

"Caelan, wait!" Connor called to her just before she was clear of the door. She turned back to face him, an annoyed look on her face. "I really don't think you should go alone. What if something happens to you while you're down there?"

"Well I guess you'll have my blood on your hands, won't you?" She turned sharply and slammed the door behind her.

The bar in the lobby was relatively empty, save a few men in suits sparsely scattered about the place. She took a seat at the end of the bar and the bartender hurried over.

"What'll it be-Wow! What happened to your eye?" He asked.

Caelan took a deep breath, "A shot of Jameson and a pack of smokes. Light ones."

The bartender moved to get her order, but he didn't take the hint. "Did you get in a fight? I mean that looks really painful. I'd hate to see what the other guy looks like...Or girl. Shouldn't you have a steak on it or something? I mean that's what they always do in the movies."

Caelan rolled her eyes before glaring at the overly curious bartender, "Do I look like I want to talk about it? Just serve me my drink, alright?"

He smiled at her, "I'm sorry." He placed her order in front of her. "This shots on me...Me and my thick head. My name's Lucas...Give me a shout if you need something else...I'll leave you alone now...."

Caelan regarded him, "Thanks...Luke."

An hour went by and Caelan had five shots in her already. The alcohol was definitely having an effect on her. Lucas came over to check on her as she lit a cigarette. "Are you drunk enough to want to talk about your eye now?" Caelan scoffed. "What's with you and my eye? Have you never seen a girl with a black eye before?"

"Actually, no. It's interesting to me. Makes me think you're tough." She scoffed again, louder this time. "Not tough enough. It was a man that did this to my eye." Lucas' expression changed immediately. "Oh. I see." "But it's not what you think."

"Really? Well, that's good. I think any guy that raises his hand to a woman as beautiful as you, or any woman for that matter, deserves a good beating." Caelan laughed out loud, "Oh Luke, you have no idea."

"Why's that funny?"

"I'm sorry...It isn't funny, and you're right. It's just my brothers..." She trailed off, realizing she was two words away from saying too much. "Well, they took care of him."

"Your brothers sound like good people to me."

"Yeah. You would think that." She replied as Luke poured her another shot. She took it quickly, not even cringing. "But they annoy the shit out of me to be completely honest." "Is that why you're down here getting hammered?"

"Bingo." She pointed at him sharply, "We had a bit of a...disagreement." "About the guy?" Luke stretched his arms across the bar next to her, listening intently. "Something like that." Caelan propped her head up with her fist, she studied him carefully. Luke was definitely cute. He had short, messy dark hair, bright blue-gray eyes, five o'clock shadow. If only she had her own hotel room....She shook her head and willed herself back to reality. "I'm sorry, what were we talking about?"

He laughed. "No more shots for you, I think."

Caelan gawked at him. "You can't cut me off! I've got enough for one more!" She held her hands out to him, all that she had left was a dollar and some change.

Her action provoked more laughter from Luke. "Sorry, you've barely got enough money for a glass of water."

Connor and Murphy strode from the elevator towards the bar. They shouldn't have left Caelan alone, not after everything they had been through. The hour she was gone was already too much. Besides, it was late and the bar would be closing anyway. The twins entered the bar and immediately noticed the conversation taking place between their sister and the bartender. Both of their defenses were up as they split and each took a stool on either side of her. Caelan didn't even have to look to know who had sat down beside her.

"I had a feeling you two would show up eventually...Well, Lucas, you're in luck. These are my brothers."

"Jesus, Cae, you've only been gone an hour...How much have you had?" Murphy asked studying an empty shot glass.

Caelan peered up at the ceiling while she tried to think. "Five bucks for smokes, five bucks a shot...Well six with tip...first one was on Lukey..."

Connor and Murphy both glared at him.

"I think I've had six shots...Is that right, Luke?"

Luke nervously looked at the two men that had joined them, "Uh...Yeah. Six. Something like that. In my defense, I did just cut her off."

"Pssssssht. Only cause' I'm ba-ROKE." Caelan shouted.

"Alright. Come on, girl. Lets get ya ta bed." Connor said taking her arm. He helped her down from her stool and started leading her towards the exit when she stopped suddenly, spinning around to head back to the bar.

"I forgot these!" She grabbed her cigarettes and stumbled back to Connor, taking his arm when she reached him. "Bye Lucas!" She tossed over her shoulder.

Luke smiled as they walked away. He turned and jumped when he realized that Murphy was still standing there, glaring at him. "Um...Can I get you something?"

"Stay the fuck away from my sister."

Luke held up his hands in defense, "I just talked to her...I don't even know her name. I just thought she was interesting."

Murphy scoffed, "Whatever." He turned and strode away from the bar.

"Wait a sec!" Lucas called to him. Murphy stopped but didn't turn. "You called her Cae? Is that her name?"

"It's Caelan, and I meant what I said. Stay away from her." Murphy replied, glaring at him over his shoulder. Lucas held his hands up again in defense as he stalked away.

"I am never drinking again...." Caelan moaned from the bathroom, her head over the toilet.

Connor kneeled behind her, holding her hair back. "Deirfur, what did you expect? You had six shots in less than an hour and barely any food." He reached for a glass on the sink and filled it with water, all the while still holding her hair back. "Here, drink this."

"I was fucking fine until you made me get off my fucking stool..." Caelan mumbled as she sat up and tried to sip the water, but it was no use. She leaned forward and retched again.

Murphy chose this moment to return to the room. Connor glared up at him from the bathroom floor. "What the fuck were you doin' down there? I thought you were right behind me."

Murphy cringed when he realized his sister was throwing up, "I just had a quick word with that asshole bartender."

Caelan jerked her head up out of the toilet, "Oh Murph, you didn't yell at him, did you?"

"Well, uh...no...I didn't yell at him...exactly...."

"Jesus fucking Christ Murphy! You always do this...The both a ya'. Ever since we were kids all the boys were always scared to talk to me because of you two." Caelan leaned back against Connor. She tried sipping her water again.

"Well, ya can't blame us for bein' a bit over-protective considerin' the last few days." Murphy said, he sat beside his brother and sister on the cold tiled floor of the bathroom.

Caelan gawked at him, "Um, yes I can. I can totally, one hundred percent blame you. It was your fault Marco nabbed me in the first place."

"Are ye done hurlin'?" Connor asked, successfully changing the subject.

Caelan nodded. "God I hope so. I just want to lay down now."

Connor and Murphy both helped peel their sister off the bathroom floor. She dragged herself to one of the beds and fell on top of it, crawling to the middle. Murphy sat down beside her and flipped on the TV while Connor sat on the edge of the other bed to untie his boots. Caelan just stared up at the ceiling, the only object in the room that didn't seem like it was spinning. She was drunk and exhausted but she couldn't seem to fall asleep. Her mind was suddenly running in so many directions. She sighed deeply. Murphy turned and looked down at her.

"Ya ok, Cae?"

"Aye. I still can't believe the police...The FBI...How did you do it?"

"Smecker was torn between just doing his job and doing what was right. Our actions helped him make up his mind," Said Connor from the other bed. He got up and strode to the other side of the room and flopped down on the bed on the other side of his sister.

"I guess I just had no idea how deep you guys were in this."

The three stayed up for awhile longer talking like the previous few days had never even happened. They told her about the stunt Rocco had pulled in the church to help sway Smecker to their side, about his eventual death and how the three of them were in her same position in Yakavetta's basement. Caelan cringed as Murphy described how he forced Connor to break his thumb so he could slide out of the handcuffs. Connor spoke of their father and the first time they met. "Poor Rocco." Caelan said. "I can see why the decision to stop has been so hard for ya."

One by one they surrendered to sleep right where they had started, fully clothed, the three of them together. Murphy even had his boots on still, and it didn't even matter. They were all too tired to care.


	13. Chapter 13: Till the Next Goodbye

Chapter 13 - Till the Next Goodbye

The next morning, Smecker picked the three of them up at the hotel and dropped them at the South Station. He somehow got them on the train with no ID's whatsoever. On top of that, he also managed to secure them a private suite, a bit excessive for a three hour train ride, but she'd take it. Caelan didn't know how he did it, but she was grateful to him.

She sat with her legs propped up on the edge of the seat across from her, arms across her chest as she watched the scenery go by through the window. Connor was across from her, next to her feet, casually reading the Boston Globe. The headline on the front page made Caelan chuckle softly; it was something about some idiot celebrity. Maybe tomorrow's would mention the incident at the Yakavetta estate. She wondered what they'd say about the Saints. Would the public be angry they returned? Outraged? Thankful?

She couldn't wait to get back to her apartment, her job, her New York. Routine. Caelan inwardly swore she'd never take her normality for granted again.

Her attention changed from the blur of the scenery to the door of their suite as Murphy entered, three cups of coffee in his hands. "I thought we could all use some." He said as he distributed the cups. He then dug in his pocket for something else, "I got you somethin' extra, Cae." Murphy tossed a travel sized pack of aspirin at her.

Caelan studied the pack for a moment before giving him a confused look.

He chuckled. "Don't give me that look. You act tough but I know your head is poundin'."

She sighed before ripping the pack open to toss the white pills in her mouth, washing them down with her coffee. "Thanks." Connor smirked before returning to his paper and Murphy sat down next to his sister. She leaned closer to him to rest her head on his shoulder. "You know, I was thinking."

"Did ya hurt yourself?" Murphy asked.

"Ha ha," She replied sarcastically. "Seriously...You can't do this to Mary and Maggie."

Connor looked at her from behind his paper, "Do what?"

"Your mission. You can't do it and be with them. You can't have both." Connor and Murphy looked at each other. Caelan sat up straight and continued, "Maggie is a sweet girl, and Mary...She's so sensitive, and she's already seen so much tragedy...Are you prepared to risk their lives too?"

"What do you mean risk their lives? They don't have anything to do with it." Connor said.

"Neither did I, Connor, and look what happened to me." She paused to look out the window again, "You're gonna head back home and you're gonna have to tell them the truth."

The three sat in silence for awhile, each quiet in thought. Caelan pulled her cross out of her pocket and examined the clasp. It looked like it wasn't exactly broken, rather, one of the chain links had been pulled apart. She bit down on the link and forced it closed with her front teeth. She admired her work and gave the chain a gentle tug to make sure it would hold before returning it to its rightful place around her neck. Connor regarded her as her gaze returned outside. He watched as his sister lightly touched her cross and he wondered how she had gotten so wise.

Connor was about to ask her that very question before she spoke again."You know what I think?" she asked quietly, "I think if you made the slightest difference to even one criminal...Then you've done your job. If some guy thought twice about robbing a bank, or raping a woman, or murderin' someone because they were scared to death of the Saints comin' for them, then I think you're a success....Both of you."

"You're probably right, for now, but criminals forget." Said Murphy, his thoughts matching Connor's.

Caelan continued, "I think you're wrong. People never forget fear like that...Fear for their lives...It stays with you." She paused for a moment, thinking. "I'm a MacManus, just like you two, and maybe this was my role all along. Maybe I possess the constitution that you both lack."

"Prophet Caelan MacManus?" Connor said smirking.

Caelan shrugged, "Maybe. Maybe it's a sister's pleading to keep her brothers safe. Maybe it's a friend protecting another friend from possible heart break or maybe it is some sort of divine intervention. Whatever it is, I'm certain that it's time for you to quit." She furled her eyebrows in thought, "In fact I've never been more sure of anything in my entire life."

Connor and Murphy exchanged an odd glance. "Well, how do you suppose we stop? You don't just give up a mission from the almighty. It's not that simple...We already tried to quit once before." Murphy said.

"Sure it is. He gave you free will, didn't He?"

†

Caelan rode the escalator up from the depths of Pennsylvania station in New York city in silence, her arms crossed across her chest, her head held high. She got an odd look here and there since her eye was still in bad shape, but it didn't bother her. She was home.

Her brothers were kind enough to lend her some money so she could get a cab back to her office since all her personal items were still there. She would ask her boss for a few days off. Family issues, an obvious injury, mental stress, any (or all) of these would be an adequate excuse considering all three were true. Caelan was also sure that David probably had several conniptions in her absence.

He too would be dealt with in time.

She squinted at the sudden sunlight and stepped onto the sidewalk. Everything around her looked somehow different. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, the scent of pavement and rank steam from the trains somehow stronger than before her unscheduled departure for Boston.

Caelan dug in her pocket and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. Opening the pack she discovered a folded piece of paper. She furled her eyebrows in confusion before opening it. Written on the small scrap of paper was an unfamiliar name as well as an unfamiliar number:

Lucas 555-1203

Caelan laughed out loud, realizing that bruised and drunk as a sailor, the bar tender from Boston was still interested in her, "Smooth Luke. Real smooth."

She crunched the pack and the few cigarettes it contained in her fist before tossing it into a near by trash can. Still smiling she skipped to the road and hailed a cab.

†

Still on the train, Murphy sat scowling out the window. He had crossed his arms across his chest, "This is stupid. Why couldn't we get the flight home out of New York? We gotta go all the way back to fucking Boston. We shouldn'tve left Cae alone."

Connor's attention was also focused on the scenery outside their window, "We've done enough to Caelan, Murph. She'll be ok on her own."

Murphy scoffed, "It's still a waste of time to go all the way back to Boston."

"Well have you thought about what she said before? About quitting for good?" Connor switched his focus to his brother.

Murphy shifted in his seat, "I guess, I don't know. I was so sure about not giving it up, then I couldn't imagine us still doing the job...Now I'm not fuckin' sure about anythin'."

Connor nodded, "Aye. I feel the same way." His focus returned to the passing scenery, "Still, I'll be fucking glad to be home. That much I know."

Murphy smiled, "I'm with ya on that."


End file.
